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Tag Archives: Only Angels Have Wings
“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
Posted in Actors, On This Day
Tagged Cary Grant, Frank Capra, Jean Arthur, Only Angels Have Wings
16 Comments
The warmth of cold cold Chicago
I flew to Chicago because there was a Howard Hawks festival happening at the Music Box, and my favorite movie, Only Angels Have Wings was playing. I’ve never seen it on a big screen. Chicago was my home and I … Continue reading
February 2025 Viewing Diary
Twin Peaks: The Return (2017; d. David Lynch) There’s nothing else like it in all of God’s green earth and I am just so grateful it exists. It’s so pure. Suze (2025; d. Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart) I liked … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Angela Lansbury, Canada, Cary Grant, Charles Beeson, David Lynch, drama, Elizabeth Taylor, Fred Astaire, George Stevens, Germany, Ginger Rogers, historical drama, Howard Hawks, Jared Padalecki, Jean Arthur, Jensen Ackles, Judy Garland, musicals, Only Angels Have Wings, Oscar Wilde, Phil Sgriccia, Rita Hayworth, Robert Singer, romantic comedy, Sissy Spacek, sports movies, Supernatural, Thomas J. Wright, Thomas Mitchell, Twin Peaks, Vincente Minnelli, women directors
118 Comments
Present Tense: on Jean Arthur
For my next Present Tense column at Film Comment (because life goes on and I am very grateful that all of my work is web-based and can continue in this climate): I wrote about one of my favorite actresses, whom … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged Frank Capra, Jean Arthur, Only Angels Have Wings, Present Tense
2 Comments
100 Day Movie Challenge: Day 1
This was one of those things going around on Facebook, and it’s now caught on among my group of friends. It’s to post an image from a movie that “had an impact on you”. No explanation, no pontification, no dramatic … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Cary Grant, Howard Hawks, Jean Arthur, Only Angels Have Wings
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Rules of the Sex/Love Game to Keep In Mind, Thanks to Howard Hawks
Elaborated from Twitter: In our current moment of sexual harassment claims sweeping the nation (which I will not debate: if you feel defensive, you need to ask why. If you feel like saying “not all men,” you completely don’t understand … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
Tagged Howard Hawks, Only Angels Have Wings, Rio Bravo, To Have and Have Not
6 Comments
Great Movie Posters
A meme has been going around Facebook to post your favorite movie poster of “a great film.” It’s been a lot of fun to see all the different artwork posted by people. Figured I’d share some of them. First, I … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Badlands, Chinatown, Faces, Gilda, North by Northwest, Only Angels Have Wings, posters, Repulsion, Taxi Driver, Vertigo
41 Comments
Only Angels Have Wings: The Atmospheric Opening
Posted in Movies
Tagged Cary Grant, drama, Howard Hawks, Jean Arthur, Only Angels Have Wings
4 Comments
Happy Birthday, Rita Hayworth
Hayworth was a newbie when she appeared as Judith, the wife of the hated flier MacPherson (the fantastic Richard Barthelmess), in Only Angels Have Wings (directed by Howard Hawks), but she’s terrific in the part. The part is deceptively simple, … Continue reading

