Top Classic Movies

They were the earliest stars of the silver screen. Classic movie actresses stole the hearts of movie-goers everywhere and the admiration lives on through modern times. Here are ten actresses that have made a mark on Hollywood and our hearts.

Katharine Hepburn often marched to the beat of a different drummer, and that drummer was Hepburn herself. She dared to wear pants when it wasn’t ladylike to do so, and she took on her male counterparts with an unmatched tenacity. At one time, she was labeled “box office poison,” but she bounced back with the hit film The Philadelphia Story and her career never looked back after that.

Lauren Bacall made it big after co-starring in To Have and Have Not with Humphrey Bogart. The on-screen romance eventually made its way off-screen to develop one of the most famed couplings in Hollywood history. Bacall made four movies with Bogart, and devoted much of her time to him as a wife and mother to their children.

Audrey Hepburn was not related to Katharine, but there are similarities. They both held unique accents and were quite distinguishable from other actresses. While Kate was a tomboy, Audrey was very feminine. Her impressive filmography includes Breakfast at Tiffany’s, My Fair Lady, Sabrina, and Charade.

Barbara Stanwyck defined the role of femme fatale when she played a woman who killed her husband in the film Double Indemnity. But it didn’t typecast her. She was a versatile actress with impeccable emotional depth. Stanwyck was considered gracious and agreeable on set. Her success as an actress can also be seen in Executive Suite, Forbidden, and Christmas in Connecticut.

Bette Davis was a demanding actress who knew what she wanted. The same qualities were also reflected in many of her characters. She was a force to be reckoned with, and her perseverance eventually achieved roles that later garnered two Oscars. Her must-see films include Jezebel, Dangerous, What Happened to Baby Jane? and All About Eve.

Joan Crawford is generally remembered for her dark roles, but she should be remembered for a career that tackled many a varied character. She is reported to have been very generous to her fans, though not as successful with her family. Both may have resulted from her tough work ethic. Her most famous films include Mildred Pierce, Humoresque, What Happened to Baby Jane? and Possessed.

Jean Arthur is another classic movie actress with a distinct voice. Bernadette Peters’ voice is very reminiscent of it. Arthur was a cute blond who worked often with famed director Frank Capra. She also played along some of Old Hollywood’s most famous leading men. She was paired with Cary Grant in Only Angels Have Wings, with James Stewart in the political drama, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as well as You Can’t Take It With You, and Gary Cooper in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.

Ginger Rogers was best known as Fred Astaire’s dancing partner. But she held her own when not paired with the top hat. She was a menacing roommate in an actress boarding house in Stage Door. And she was the bride her new husband, played by James Stewart, was embarrassed to introduce to his parents in Vivacious Lady.

Ingrid Bergman starred in one of the most celebrated films of all time, Casablanca. While many of her movies were European films, she had a nice set of films in American cinema. The other film she is known for is Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious, a spy movie co-starring Cary Grant.

Lucille Ball is the original favorite redhead made a superstar by her starring role in the television series, I Love Lucy. Unfortunately, her film work is often underrated. She starred in four films with Bob Hope and had an impressive supporting role in Stage Door. In her pre-Lucy films, it is hard to recognize her. But that’s not a bad thing. Her acting is simply un-Lucy like and showcases Ball’s incredible ability to perform a variety of characters.

These actresses paved the way for modern women in Hollywood. Their tenacity during a time when women were not considered equal is to be remembered and respected.

Nathania Johnson is the author of http://www.ClassicMovieLounge.com a blog about classic movies and Old Hollywood.

Thomas the tank engine movie is a children’s classic movie. If by any chance you have not seen it yet then this article may motivate you to rent it or buy it and become a fan of the adventures of this funny train. Thomas the track engine movie is based on the Railway Series that first saw the light back in 1945. It sold over 8 million copies worldwide and is still one of the moist sold books for children even after 60 years of its first release.

So here we present a brief resume of how Thomas the tank engine characters were brought to life. A three-year-old boy named Christopher Awdry has scarlet fever and for this, he had to be put in quarantine. But to keep him amused, his father, and Anglican clergyman, Mr. Wilbert Awdry started telling him stories about the fun adventures of a group of one of a kind trains.

The story turned out to be so fascinating to the little boy that he demanded more and more stories. Due to this, his father decided to start writing these stories to record the details and remember them in a posterior reading.

Ina addition to this, the revered took the effort of sketching some drawing of the restless locomotives to which he added a human smiling face. The wife of Mr. Awdry soon realized that the stories of her husband were good enough to be published and took his manuscripts and Thomas the tank engine pictures to the editor Mr. Edmund Ward who recognized the quality of the material. And that’s’ how the Railway Series were released. However, Thomas the tank engine himself just appeared a year later in 1946.

The ongoing success of the book through the years motivated film producers to take the story of the funny locomotive and its friends to the silver screen. It was in 1984 that was released with the narration of the former Beatle Ringo Starr, and it was distributed to over 120 countries.

Recently, in 2000 a new film version was released, called Thomas and The Magic Railroad; however the movie was not a blockbuster success, but the successful saga of the locomotive continued in the straight-to-video version Calling all engines!

Are you a Thomas the Tank Engine fan? Check out more at:http://www.thomasthetankenginemovie.com

Harvey is a 1950 film based on Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name,directed by Henry Koster, and starring James Stewart and Josephine Hull. After watching it on Wednesday night, I must admit it was the most delightful classic movie that I had seen in a long time. It seems that all of us, at one time or another, just need a break from reality so that we can just relax and enjoy life. This excellent lighthearted film was adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning hit play written by Mary Chase.

Elwood’s attraction for us is perhaps what attracted him so much to James Stewart. Elwood is happy with himself and his life and even more importantly, he makes others happy with their lives. That is the great magic of Elwood and Harvey: they make others happy and they bring peace and a measure of contentment to almost everyone who know them. Elwood P. Dowd tries, all through the movie,to introduce Harvey to everyone he meets but the only one who eventually sees him is Dr. Chumley,[Cecil Kellaway] the psychiatrist. Dowd’s sister Veta [Josephine Hull] sometimes acknowledges the existence of Harvey but only when she’s under extreme stress.

The story is about a man whose best friend is a “pooka” named Harvey-in the form of a six-foot, three and one half-inch-tall rabbit. Stewart plays Elwood P. Dowd, a middle-aged,individual whose best friend is an invisible six-foot, three-and-a-half-inch tall rabbit named Harvey. During the opening scenes Elwood has been driving his sister and niece Myrtle Mae Simmions [Victoria Horne] to distraction by introducing everyone he meets to his friend, Harvey.His sister, Veta Louise Simmons,tries to have Elwood committed to a Sanatorium. She admits to the attending psychiatrist Dr Lyman Sanderson [Charles Drake] that, after so many years of putting up with it, she sees Harvey every once in a while. This causes Dr. Sanderson to let Elwood out and lock Veta up. Dr.Chumley decides that he doesn’t want to get sued, and to save the reputation of the Sanatorium, he must bring Elwood back. He then fires Dr. Sanderson.

After going through several ordeals Elwood is finally tracked down but he is unaware of his sisters plan to have him committed with the help of Judge Gaffney [William Lynn]and Dr. Chumley. Dr. Sanderson, nurse Miss Kelly [Peggy Dow] and assistant Duane Wilson [Jesse White] track down Elwood in Charlie’s Bar. Elwood tells the story of how he came to meet Harvey and then he is taken back to the Sanatorium where he explains his philosophy of life to Dr. Chumley who by this time has admitted to Elwood that he has also met Harvey.He rehires Dr.Sanderson. Dr.Sanderson convinces Elwood to come into his office where he will give him a serum that will stop him from seeing Harvey.But in the meantime Elwood’s sister is told by the cab driver about all of the other people he had driven home after they had been given the same serum. He tells her that they were transformed into “normal human being” and you know what stinkers they are. Veta then decides to stop the injection of the serum.

The final scene involves Harvey remaining with Dr. Chumley or continuing his life with Elwood. He gets to the gates and decides to stay with Elwood.This is such a delightful movie that at the very end of it, I was actually cheering for Harvey’s decision to stay with Elwood.

Andrew Conway is an author and a music and classic movie buff. He has contributed countless articles about the entertainment field. He has created a site at http://www.ultimate-free-downloads.com for anyone who truly loves music and movies

Christmas is a time for memories. What better way to create lasting ones than to gather the whole family around to watch some great classic Christmas movies?

Many movies come to mind, but following are the three considered by many to be the best.

1)It’s A Wonderful Life(1946): James(Jimmy) Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore

George Bailey(Jimmy Stewart) is considering ending it all to escape all the problems in his life—on Christmas! Just as he is about to jump off a bridge, he’s interrupted by Clarence, his guardian angel(Henry Travers). To convince George not to go through with it, Clarence shows him what life would be like without him.

Did you just hear that bell ring? An angel just got his wings.

2)Miracle On 34th Street(1947): Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Gene Lockhart, Natalie Wood

When nice, old Kris Kringle(Edmund Gwenn) claims to be the real Santa and is put in an insane asylum, Fred Gailey(John Payne) decides to represent him in court. In a hearing that tests the people’s beliefs, Kris is found to be the real Santa.

Yes, Susan(Natalie Wood), there is a Santa Claus.

3)Scrooge(1951): Alastair Sim, Mervyn Jones, Michael Hordern

Everybody knows the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. But, even with all the different versions of “A Christmas Carol,” over the years, none have given a better performance than Alastair Sim. It’s as if he was born to play the stingy, hard-hearted Scrooge. Sim is the embodiment of what Charles Dickens had in mind.

I think I’ll go buy the biggest goose in all of London.

Now go rent these three all-time classic Christmas movies, make some hot chocolate, gather the family around the TV and start making some classic Christmas movie memories.

Joey Phillips has been a movie buff all of his life. Visit his website, Online Movie Rentals to find the best movies and places to rent movies online, as well as movie reviews and articles.

About a year and a half ago, director Rob Zombie was finishing up editing “The Devil’s Rejects” when he got a call from his agent wondering if Rob would like to do a re-tooling of the once-great franchise “Halloween”. The only response he got back from Mr. Zombie was “Sign me up!” A week or two later, the final contracts were drawn up, filming began, and now “Halloween” will be in theaters once again on August 31st, 2007. The reason the project was given a greenlight with Rob Zombie attached so fast was the fact that the “Halloween” series of films have been really bad lately. Steve Miner directed the last atrocity, “Halloween: H20″, with absolutely no credibility and no charisma at all.

“Halloween” needed a fresh transfusion of blood for it to continue, and the producers had to find a damn good director to re-imagine the series in a more modern context. Rob Zombie was recommended to the producer’s by many people who had seen Zombie’s previous two horror flix, the aforementioned “Devil’s Reject’s”, and the under-rated “House of 1000 Corpses”.

I believe there are many more classic and semi-classic horror movies that could really use a boost from a talented director out there. “Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde” springs to mind as a perfect vehicle for the great director David Cronenberg, who started out by directing pure horror films like “Scanners” and “The Brood”. He really could attack a good script written by somebody who really gets the horror and nuance of the great book written by Robert Louis Stevenson about a good doctor who turns into a horrible monster after drinking a concoction he mixed up in his lab one night. The makeup transformation alone would be worth the price of admission! I see an actor like Daniel Craig or Heath Ledger in the role of Dr. Jeckyl. Jessica Biel or Scarlet Johannsen would make a really sexy and interesting Mary Reilly, who falls in love with the diabolical doctor.

The last time anybody took a really creative stab at “Dracula’, it resulted in the brilliant “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Movies that were made afterwards, like the laughable “Dracula’s Curse”, starring Gerald Butler playing a Euro-trash Dracula, never should have been made in the first place. Butler now has huge success after playing King Leonidas in “The 300″, but he really was one of the worst Dracula’s in the history of cinema. Brian DePalma would be a perfect candidate for the director’s helm, and a real movie actor like Willem Dafoe or Colin Firth would be an excellent choice to bring the pain and gravitas of Bram Stoker’s great villain to life. Also, a really great script by David Mamet would help, but I don’t know if he wants to make his hands bloody by writing a violent screenplay. Some great writer who needs a change from the seriousness of “Syriana”, like Steve Gaghan, would be another ideal candidate.

Finally, “The Last House on the Left” was the movie that was a HUGE influence on today’s “torture” movies like the “Saw” franchise and “Hostel 1 and 2″. This is a little-seen horror flick that was directed by a young man called Wes Craven. You might know him by his later work directing two huge hits, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream”. “Lat House…” was a movie made in 1972 that featured some of the most horrific torture scenes ever put on celluloid at that time. It follows the story of 2 women who are abducted by 3 murderers and rapists, and challenges the viewer to stay in their seat as Craven directs the movie in close-up 35mm camera takes that really shows the viewer every violent act committed against these two women by their captors. If Eli Roth, the director of “Hostel”, were to direct a remake, I think major box office would follow.

If any producers are out there reading this, please give me credit where credit is due, and enjoy the movies!

Rob Mead has written many articles about internet marketing and how to create and find great website content that will increase your web site’s traffic overnight. Go to http://www.perfectwebcontent.com and you will be able to use all of the web site’s resources and articles in your quest for internet success.

Valentine’s Day will be here soon. In addition to the roses, candy and dinner, you need some warm fuzzy movies to watch as you snuggle up with your honey. Good love stories provide comedy, romance and in many cases - a good cry at the expense of someone else’s relationship.These classic movies provide superb story content without a lot of the distractions of dazzling technology that we get now in movies.

Have a great date night relaxing, as you enjoy the quality time you spend with your loved one watching these beloved Top Ten Tales of Amour:

10. On Golden Pond - To witness love transcend decades is a glorious sight. Whether we see it within our own families or in film as here, it holds promise for our own relationships. Not just relationships with our spouses, but also with our children. Two powerhouses of cinema, Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda, gave us grace, humor and reason to believe in lifelong love. Watching the love and admiration between Fonda and his daughter Jane provides further credence to this great and wonderful love story.

9. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing - Determination to be with the one you love: the basic love story theme abounds here, spun in a mesmerizing way between two great actors. Jennifer Jones adorns the screen in anything she plays, but watching her with William Holden is spellbinding. Crossing racial barriers and adultery, this story finds you wanting this couple to overcome it all to be together. I watched it recently and actually wept hard, just as I had before when I’d first seen it. Highly recommended. It’s a fine cuddle-up and tissue movie.

8. Pillow Talk - A terrific love story does not have to make you cry. This flick with Rock Hudson and Doris Day is the classic screwball comedy full of mistaken identity, love and absolute hilarity. Swell soundtrack, especially the little ditty that reigns throughout the film in various versions! Also featuring Tony Randall and Thelma Ritter.

7. The Shop Around the Corner - James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. This was the inspiration for “You’ve Got Mail” with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. That was good, but regarding that, as in many cases, nothing’s better than the original. No internet here, just good ol’ fashioned letter-writing and pen-pal life in a quaint little town in Budapest at Christmas. You’ll cry in your hot cocoa.

6. The Philadelphia Story - Stellar comedy that put Katharine Hepburn back at the top after an early stall in her career. Impossible to see how it wouldn’t have. This mini-soap opera tells the intertwining story of one of Philly’s most affluent families and the tabloid-filled lives they lead. Splendid dialogue and an abundance of delightful chemistry throughout the cast provide “a most beholden” piece of entertainment. With Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart (his Oscar win) and Ruth Hussey.

5. Love In The Afternoon - May-December romance takes the stage here along with fast-living, mischief and mistaken identities. Even a case of deception can’t keep Gary Cooper from falling in love with the young and beautiful Audrey Hepburn. Captivating music also helps to spin this engaging tale. The train station scene of this film presents a classic moment that many other romantic movies have attempted to duplicate. There has been no other to reach the emotion that this movie evokes.

4. It Happened One Night - What do you get with an heiress running away from an engagement and a hungry reporter trying to capture the story of the year? One of the best romantic comedies to ever hit the screen. Filled with risque, albeit now classic, moments for the 30s, this film warms the heart as you laugh. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert were quite a pair.

3. Casablanca - Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. This is the story that has it all for everyone. War, intrigue, suspense, gambling, song, romance and, of course, Paris.

2. The Bridges of Madison County - Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. I didn’t think the movie would make me cry as much as the book, but boy does it. It’s a love she has to keep in her heart for the rest of her life, but as she delivers the legacy of this love to her children after her death, it makes understanding its’ power much easier - somehow.

1. Wuthering Heights - Sir Lawrence Olivier and Merle Oberon. The story of Heathcliff, Cathy and the wind of the Moors. Classic story of the burdened heart and, literally, undying love. The supreme tear-jerker. I still recall many years ago in college when some of my classmates and I went to an old movie house in town featuring this film. After the lights were turned on at the end of the movie, just about all of us in the audience continued to sniffle. (We laughed in embarrassment, too.) It is lovely and perfect for a snuggle on Valentine’s Day. It will give you the gratitude of knowing love in your life - always.

The original list of my top choices I had compiled was very long, but I want to also give mention to just a few more for you to consider:

Desk Set - The lovely chemistry of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy throughout the movie, especially in the library loft, gives me chills everytime I see it. They couldn’t have hidden it even if they’d tried.

Brief Encounter - Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson. Considered the love story of all love stories. There’s obviously something that pulls at the heartstrings watching stories of unrequited love or, in this case, watching love bloom between the already spoken-for. Penned by Noel Coward and moving along the glorious soundtrack of Rachmaninoff, there’s no way to stay tear-free at the end of this movie.

Legends of the Fall - Brad Pitt, the west, the war and unrequited love. Grab at least two boxes of tissues.

When Harry Met Sally - one of my all-time favorites… Women and Men can be friends. However, these two were just destined for love,period.

Gone With The Wind - my top movie… but at four hours, I thought it a bit long to mention in the top 10. Don’t miss it though… romance, war, passion, Scarlett and Rhett…

Titanic - Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. It’s quite long also, but it’s the quintessential romantic tragedy. We all know the story, but no other film version grasped the romance and desperation as this. Coupled with Celine Dion’s crescendo in the theme song and the unending story that goes on (pardon me) through the necklace, you’ll still cry about it the next day when the song pops on the radio. It always has airplay at this time of year!

You can find these great movies at fye!

Be sure to order now in time for your Valentine’s Day celebration or anytime you want to spend a glorious date night with your sweetheart!

Tonya Rice is an avid classic movie fan, especially of romantic comedies and westerns. She’s a Wellness Consultant, who runs Best In Health Now (http://www.bestinhealthnow.com) which promotes better health and wellness. She is the author of Breaking the Weight Loss Code, available at her website. Sign up now for the Free 5-day Wellness Course with newsletter subscription at http://www.bestinhealthnow.com/newsletters

There have been many classic movies remade years later, some are good and some are not. It depends on the how the story is interpreted. In the early movies sex and violence are hardly ever shown they are implied. In the newer versions they don’t hold back anything. This might be what is appealing to the new audiences. They have seen the classic and want to see the actual murder or love scene between two characters.

In the newer versions of movies they have been able to take special effects to a whole new level. Sometimes this isn’t always good. In the 1960’s series of Batman, the cheesiness of the show was the best part. Batman always had whatever they needed to escape or apprehend the bad guy. For example, he would say “good thing I put this vial of shark repellent in my bat belt this morning”. Never has anyone been better prepared for anything since the old Batman shows. In the remakes they took him to a whole new level making everything very slick and futuristic. They took out the innocence, the heart and soul of why we loved it so much as children.

Another example of a remake gone badly is Godzilla. The reason everyone loved the old Godzilla movies is because you could tell it was a man in a monster suit crushing a cardboard Tokyo. Half the fun of watching these movies was to see how fake many things were and try to find the wires swinging the monsters around. In the recent version, they made Godzilla the bad guy. This turned the character into something else. Even in a remake the basic personality of a character shouldn’t be changed. In the old movies he was the protector even if he destroyed everything he was trying to protect.

But there are great remakes of mediocre classic movies. For example, the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder, this movie was based on a book and for anyone who loved the book the original classic movie was a disappointment. But in the updated version, starring Johnny Depp, they stayed very close to what the author of the story was trying to convey. Making the new release an instant classic.

Then there is the comic remake of the classics. Often a writer will take the best parts of a particular genre and combine them into a comic spoof, these movies have formed a genre all their own. Mel Brooks is a master with this type of remake. For example, Blazing Saddles pokes fun of the old westerns and makes a statement about racism. Another classic remake was Young Frankenstein, based on the old Frankenstein movies.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as classic television dvds at http://www.classictelevisiondvds.com