Tag Archives: Jean Arthur

“I guess I became an actress because I didn’t want to be myself.” — Jean Arthur

It’s her birthday today, one of my all-time favorite actresses! First up, two pieces I wrote for Film Comment: For my “Present Tense” column, I wrote about her career and her distinctive voice. For TCM Diary, I wrote about onscreen … Continue reading

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“People say I’m a one-note actor, but the way I figure it, those other guys are just looking for that one right note.” — Joel McCrea

It’s his birthday today. Joel McCrea had a long career, with many different phases. He did it all, although he is primarily associated with Westerns. It was what you might call a “classy” career. Steady, successful, no scandals, and he … Continue reading

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For International Women’s Day: Ladies I Love

These women inspire, entertain, challenge, comfort, provoke, or were “there” in my formative years as an inspiration. The list is huge. Below the jump.

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October 2022 Viewing Diary

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation (2020; d. Lisa Immordino Vreeland) Fascinating dual portraits. No “talking heads”. The entire thing is made up of their own voices, told in talk shows, or interviews. Amazing footage I’ve never seen before. Christine … Continue reading

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January 2022 Viewing Diary

Crossfire (1947; d. Edward Dmytryk) Went on a little Robert Mitchum kick, thanks to the Criterion Channel. Crossfire came out the same year as Gentleman’s Agreement, and both films deal with anti-Semitism, which was very much on American minds at … Continue reading

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For Film Comment: Shane & Everybody Wants Some!!

There’s a new column on Film Comment called “Seeing Double”, where writers explore connections between different movies, potential double bills. So I wrote about Shane and Everybody Wants Some!!, a piece I’d been wanting to write for a couple of … Continue reading

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August 2021 Viewing Diary

Pig (2021; d. Michael Sarnoski) I wish I could write at length about some of these. I just don’t have the time these days. I absolutely loved Pig, about an isolated woodsman-truffle-hunter (Nicolas Cage) whose beloved truffle pig is stolen. … Continue reading

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Things that got me through 2020. In no particular order.

Elvis mask, made for me by Jill Blake who was like “I just happened to have this Elvis 68 Comeback Special fabric lying around … do you want a mask?” Do you have to ask? There were so many great … Continue reading

Posted in Actors, Books, Directors, Founding Fathers, Movies, Music, Personal, Television, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

2020 Books Read

What a year, huh. What a dumpster-fire year. I read a lot, mostly in the mornings, and it helped create rituals for the days, which often seemed endlessly the same, interchangeable. I read a lot of long and challenging books … Continue reading

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Year in Review: Shooting My Mouth Off in 2020, Part 1

What a year. Hard to say “the worst” because I was at least somewhat mentally stable during 2020, but this year was an assault. An assault after a couple of years of exhausting assault. It was an assault on us … Continue reading

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