The 1940 Columbia Pictures comedy, His Girl Friday, may seem like a screwball romp of a film starring eye candy performers, Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, but when we take a closer look, we find a surprisingly strong female character who defies the gender roles of the day and demonstrates that a woman can be…
Category: Golden Hollywood
“A Summer Place”: A Racy Film with a Memorable Theme Song
The 1959 romantic drama, A Summer Place, was popular with moviegoers who flocked to see teen heartthrobs Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue as young lovers who are navigating their first serious romance while also dealing with their parents’ affair. The theme song for A Summer Place, an instrumental piece composed by Max Steiner, was a…
Dangers and Injuries on the Set of “The Wizard of Oz”
As one of the most revered classic movies of all time, The Wizard of Oz has enchanted audiences for generations. However, behind the scenes, the filming of this iconic movie was not always as magical as it may have appeared onscreen. In fact, several actors were injured during the making of The Wizard of Oz….
“On the Waterfront”: Leonard Bernstein’s Only Movie Score
The 1954 film, On the Waterfront, starring Marlon Brando as a longshoreman who becomes tangled in the violence and corruption at the New York City docks, was directed by Elia Kazan. The film, now a classic of the Golden Age of Hollywood, was notable for many reasons, including the fact that On the Waterfront was…
Shirley Temple and Hollywood’s First Interracial Dance Scene
Hollywood was much different in the 1930s. It is a sad fact that African American performers did not have the same opportunities as white actors, nor were they cast in spotlight roles. Slowly, groundbreaking men and women broke through the barriers and took brave steps toward racial equality. One such actor was a 57-year-old former…