James Cagney and Doris Day, The Perfect Couple That Never Got Together

James Cagney and Doris Day were a great team. There was a special magic when they worked together. Perhaps it was because they were very good friends. She had a lot of respect for his talent and experience, saying that he was the most professional actor with whom she ever worked, and he respected her, …

How to Breen!

If you have read anything about "The Great Breening Blogathon," PEPS's first blogathon, which I have been promoting aggressively in the past couple weeks, you have doubtless encountered the verb breen many times. Breen, as well as its synonym, joebreen, was a verb which was coined by Variety during the Golden Era to describe exactly …

Ice Cream Sodas and Soda Jerks at the Egyptian Theatre

The Egyptian Theatre had a wonderful event on that Sunday afternoon. It was a beautiful September day in Hollywood, and the courtyard was filled with people who were standing in line, waiting for ice cream sodas. As the soda jerk whipped up the colorful sodas, the patrons listened to the music of a ukulele player, …

The Unpopular Opinion Film Tag: Three Films Which Make Me Tired

A few months ago, Maddy from Maddy Loves Her Classic Movies and Catherine from Thoughts All Sorts tagged me to write an article in "The Unpopular Opinion Film Tag" series. I would like to thank them and to say that I am honored; I have never been tagged for anything before. The three films I …

“The Solid Gold Cadillac:” A Solid Gold Film from 1956

The Solid Gold Cadillac begins with shots of Rockefeller Center which are accompanied by George Burns's narration. As the camera goes into a huge office building, Mr. Burns tells the audience about the backbone of American industry, namely, stockholders. As he explains the concept of stockholders' meetings, he introduces us to just such a meeting, …

An Absent-Minded Chemist, A Test-Victim Wife, A Mindless Secretary, and A Genius Scientist!

What film contains all the characters I listed in the title? Monkey Business from 1952 is the only one I know! Cary Grant is the chemist, Ginger Rogers is his wife, Marylin Monroe is the secretary, and Esther, the chimpanzee, is the scientist! For the "Movie Scientist Blogathon" hosted by Silver Screenings and Christina Wehner, …

EXTRA: “The Great Breening Blogathon!”

Ladies and gentlemen, the Pure Entertainment Preservation Society is now making the official announcement of our very first blogathon, the Great Breening Blogathon! It is centered around October 14, which is the 129th birthday of Joseph I. Breen, the head of the Production Code Administration. We like to think of him as the man who …