Recently went on an old movie watching binge.
On an Island with You released in 1948 starring Esther Williams with Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalban, Jimmy Durante and Cyd Charisse. While filming a movie in the South Pacific a Navy pilot (Lawford) kidnaps an aquatic movie star (Williams) and flies her to a private island hoping to woo her away from her co-star and fiance (Montalban). Spoiler: he does end up with her.
The usual, "heck with accuracy" moments in the movie occurs, but one really jumps out at me. Montalban is playing a US Navy pilot in the movie that they are filming in the plot. Lawford plays an advisor for the movie they are filming as he is an actual Navy pilot. He complains to the director that Montalban will not pass as a US Navy pilot because of his Spanish accent. This is a funny statement as Lawford clearly has a British accent where he has been cast as the US Navy pilot. Secondly, Williams and Charisse have been tanned up to play islanders. Both Williams and Charisse are looking pretty good in the movie.
It was an OK movie for me. Love the periiod color technology.
Skirts Ahoy! released in 1952 starring Esther Williams, Joan Evans and Vivian Blaine. Unlucky in love, three women join the WAVES to see the world and meet men.
I wasn't too crazy about hits one. Again, like the 1950's color technology.
Dangerous Mission released in 1954 starring Victor Mature with Piper Laurie and Vincent Price. A young woman flees to Montana's Glacier National Park after seeing a mob slaying in New York. Price is sent there to knock her off and Mature is there to catch the killer.
I enjoyed this movie for the most part. Interesting to see how the city-slickers dressed up for western adventures. Plus it was fun to watch Mature wrestle with a down, live power line. Spoiler: he should be dead! And again, I really like the color look of these early movies.
Dead Reckoning released in 1947 starring Humphrey Bogart with Lizabeth Scott and Morris Carnovsky. A World War II hero solves his buddy's murder, starting with a singer and a nightclub owner.
I really enjoyed this movie. A classic Bogart role. Scott reminds me of Bacall.
Citizen Kane released in 1941 starring Orson Welled with Joseph Cotten and Ruth Warrick. Enigmatic newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane rises, falls and leaves behind a riddle with his dying breath.
Yep, I understand why this movie is so good.
I watch a lot of old movies. There are several take-aways I gather from them but two that really stand out are:
1. The people are much younger than what they appear on camera. I will look at their age when a movie was made and am always surprised at how young they actually are. Did all people just look older then?
2. It seems like all of the leading men were usually always much older than the starlets.