Classic Leading Man

Cary Grant You scored 4% Tough, 9% Roguish, 28% Friendly, and 57% Charming!

You are the epitome of charm and style, the smooth operator who steals the show with your sophisticated wit and quiet confidence. You are able to catch any woman you want just by flashing that disarming smile. When you walk into a room, the women are instantly intrigued and even the men are impressed. When you find yourself in trouble, you are easily able to charm your way out of it, or convince others to help you. You're seen as dashing, suave and romantic. Your co-stars include Katharine Hepburn, Irene Dunne, and Joan Fontaine, stylish women who know a class act when they see it.

Leading Lady quiz

Myrna Loy You scored 11% grit, 4% wit, 28% flair, and 66% class!

You are class itself, the calm, confident "perfect woman." Men turn and look at you admiringly as you walk down the street, and even your rivals have a grudging respect for you. You always know the right thing to say, do and, of course, wear. You can take charge of a situation when things get out of hand, and you're a great help to your partner even if they don't immediately see or know it. You are one classy dame. Your screen partners include William Powell and Cary Grant, you little simmerpot, you. Find out what kind of classic leading man you'd make by taking the Classic Leading Man Test.

Mickey Rooney

Yesterday was Mickey Rooney's 85th birthday (and my Aunt Janet's birthday). Not only is he an actor and performer, but he's an American institution!
For more information on Mickey go to www.MickeyRooney.org or www.MickeyRooney.com
He's made over 200 filmes from the 1920's to the present. TCM was going to show 14 hours of his films, but since director Robert Wise died, they changed the schedule to show his movies instead. I was a bit disappointed. He has an autobiography titled Life Is Too Short. It's really good!
On another note, on Jackie Cooper's birthday I recorded all his movies on TCM. I'm about half-way through the set. I wanted to see why everyone thought he was such a great child actor. Well I found out and they're right! If you ever get a chance, definitely check out When a Fellow Needs a Friend http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023688/. It's really good.
He and Mickey were both great! True living legends! :)

Plymouth Adventure and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo

I taped these two movies last month off TCM for later viewing and finally got to them this week. I originally taped them for Van Johnson and Spencer Tracy.

I wasn't sure what I would think of Plymouth Adventure (1952). Many times, historically based films are changed to make them more dramatic and appealing to viewers. I was surprised at how realistic it was. THe ship was cramped, as one would expect, there was disease and death, but also joy and new life, in just a few months. There were storms that seemed very realistic to me (although, I've never been on a boat, or on a boat in a storm). I didn't really like Spencer Tracy's character (Captain Jones) at first, but I guess the viewers were not supposed to like him until the end when he sort of redeems himself. I thought Van Johnson's part (John Alden) was great, but he got into a lot of fights with the sailors. He was protecting Dawn Addams from the sailors leering. This was the first film of Gene Tierney's I've ever seen. Now I know why she's so beloved. She was beautiful and had an elegant air about her. I enjoyed her performance, but her character was sad. Overall, I thought it was a very good film. I laughed a little and even cried a little, probably the most because of little William Button. Poor kid. Anyway, I would definitely recommend this film to anyone.

I had been looking forward to Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) for a long time. I knew it was supposed to be a great war film with Tracy and Johnson again and with Robert Walker, whose work I'v erecently come to really appreciate. It was not a disappointment. I was kept in suspence for most of the film and really felt for the characters. I thought Tracy's part was a bit stiff, but he was probably supposed to be since it was based on a true story. I initially thought the movie would end in tragedy, but was pleased with the ending. I thought Van Johnson was brilliant in this role (of course, he usually is). I was hooked from the very beginning. The flashbacks when he was sleeping or knocked out were a great way to show his strong relationship with his newly wedded wife. Not only was this film suspenseful, but it had it's light funny moments as well. Robert Walker's small-town shy character was funny as well as some of the others. I thought it was an awesome film, one of, if not, the best war film I've seen.