The Duke Is Tops (1938) is an American musical film released by Million Dollar Productions, a production company noted for advancing Black filmmaking in the late 1930s. Ralph Cooper, one of the three heads of Million Dollar Productions, scripted, co-directed and starred in the film. The Duke Is Tops is a B-musical featuring a mostly…
Category Archives: Classic Film Stars
Fright Night Masterpiece – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)
The 1920 silent film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde directed by John S. Robertson is known as one of the great film performances by John Barrymore. Filmed during the day while at the same time the great theater actor appeared on the stage at night, Barrymore’s performance is an acting tour de force. Barrymore plays…
2020 TCM Summer Under the Stars – Live Tweet Schedule #4
As TCM’s Summer Under the Stars programming winds down, we enjoyed some more impromptu live-tweeting. We simply could not ignore Claudette Colbert and Paul Henreid, actors who starred in some of the most beloved films of all time. It Happened One Night (1934) was the first film to win every major Academy Award, including Best…
2020 TCM Summer Under the Stars – Live Tweet Schedule #3
Couldn’t let William Powell day of TCM Summer Under The Stars programming pass by without a #TCMParty. Appreciate the opportunity to watch the first airing on TCM of The Senator Was Indisceet (1947). Apropos to watch during an election year…
2020 TCM Summer Under the Stars – Live Tweet Schedule #2
We’ve been having a ball this month watching TCM’s Summer Under the Stars programming. Naturally, some impromptu live-tweeting ensued. Two stars whose days we enjoyed and whose films we live-tweeted are John Barrymore and Cary Grant. Follow @CoupleClassic as the month continues…
2020 TCM Summer Under the Stars – Live Tweet Schedule #1
Each year we look forward to TCM’s Summer Under the Stars programming where each day in the month of August the channel devotes the day to airing the films of one actor. This year we plan to live-tweet a number of films on the schedule. Our first installment is below. See the captions for when…
Myrna Loy’s First Starring Role: Indecent (1932)
Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray, follows the lives of two friends Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley as they move through British high society. First published as a 19-volume monthly serial from 1847 to 1848, its popularity led to the publishing of a single volume in 1848. Today the book is regarded as a classic…
Judy: Must-See Judy Garland Biopic
Saw Judy yesterday, the biopic about the last performances of Judy Garland in 1969 at The Talk of the Town in London. The film covers a heartbreaking time in Judy’s life as she tries to revive her waning career all the while battling her lifelong struggle with substance abuse. Renee Zellweger gives a tour de force…
Raleigh/Cary Backlot Chapter Live-Tweeting TCM Summer Under the Stars Programming
The Raleigh/Cary TCM Backlot Chapter is having a banner month in August! Several chapter members are live-tweeting during TCM’s Summer Under the Stars programming from our Chapter Twitter account: @TCMBacklotRDU. Just last night, Chapter member Lora, live-tweeted during The Killers as part of TCM’s programming in tribute to Ava Gardner. Many TCM fans and TMC…
Roaring Twenties Sex Symbol Clara Bow: My Lady of Whims (1925)
Clara Bow ruled the box-office in the 1920s, with 1925 the year she appeared in the most films—15 in all. Almost half of her 1925 films are lost, but My Lady of Whims survives. Originally seven reels, the surviving shortened version offers a powerful glimpse of Bow’s star power at the age of 20. My…