"Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens..."Today, I'm participating in Get Real Monday..."My favorite things...", hosted by Randi over at I have to Say. And this one's relatively easy for me!
One of my favorite things is kicking back and watching an old movie. And I think I have always had a special love for them even as a child.
Maybe it started by watching those wonderful Shirley Temple flicks on TV with my mom (who was and is a big Shirley fan) and then later, watching old romantic movies with her as a teen, where she'd tell me who all t
he actors and character actors were. Instead of being bored by these facts, I soaked them all in. There was just something magical about this other era, and it began a lifelong long with the Silver Screen for me.
Or the MGM Technicolor Screen, too. Gotta love those musical numbers with the gorgeous color that's bigger than life! And forget about the 80's heartthrobs like Harrison Ford or Tom Cruise. I was all about Gene Kelly dancing with his umbrella or the very suave Cary Grant.
My husband sometimes watches an old movie with me and will suddenly quiz me....
"What's the name of that actor right there?"
Usually, I answer right away, smug in my vast knowledge of Old Hollywood. And when I even know the name of the obscure character actress playing the maid, he seems duly impressed.
Once in awhile, I'm stumped, though. I could fib, and make up some credible sounding name and he'd be none the wiser. But I'm just too honest.
I'm not sure how all of this knowledge benefits me...it's not like it can help me with a career or even help me be popular in social circles where everyone's talking about what Paula said on American Idol.
Still...it's something I just love.
I'm trying to pass this love of old classic movies on to my children. They do love Shirley Temple...and other old movies with children or animals.
But it helps if it's color or even "Ted Turner-ized" with fake color.
If it's not, my four year old runs screaming from the room, yelling,
"Not black and white!"
(You think I'm making this up, but it's sadly true.)
I shake my head and wonder how she could have my DNA.
For more on old classic movies, you can check out my other blog - which I'm shamefully slow on updating- located on the sidebar.
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34 comments:
I like old movies too, I'm not as informed on all of them as you are, but it just takes you back to a more simple times where you don't have to worry about the movie being laced with curse words or inappropriate scenes. Maybe your kids will appreciate them more soon:)
I am a Cary Grant fan too!
My kids don't like B&W either, I guess it is just because they are so used to wonderful technology.
Cary Grant! He's my favorite. I LOVE old movies, too.
When I'm in the mood, I love an old movie! Sadly I don't have the opportunity to watch it too often, as the rest of my family won't watch it and therefore the tv is commandeered by the majortity rule. :v(
I love some of the old movies too. Shirley Temple is one of my special favorites!
hugs!
Old movies should always be b & w, Colouring them is just wrong!
I would be happy to sit and watch those classic movies with you by the hours. I love them! Whenever I go to visit my stepmother, we watch them together. She knows all the names. This was a great "favorite things" post.
We adore old movies around here--even my eldsest has a collection of Shirly Temple movies--almost all of them in fact. Great favorite. I long to be able to name the actors and actresses but despite numerous watchings I can't remember their names anymnore than I can name the people I know--I am bad a t names. :)Usually I describe people based on other movies they have been in and all kinds of other facts--you know, the guy who played in the movie about the two aunts that were really sweet except they kept poisoning lonely gentlemen and burying them in the basement.
thanks for sharing one of your favorite things to do! That was a fun thing to read about!
Hope you had a nice Easter!
. . . Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens; Brown paper packages tied up with strings; These are a few of my favorite things."
Thank You! Now I'll have that song in my head all day! :-)
Older movies are truly a treasure - Cary Grant is wonderful but don't forget about Gregory Peck and Gary Cooper. And Musicals - OH how I LOVE them!
Thanks for the smile and for sharing some memories with us today -
Tammy, I popped over from Randi's. It's been awhile since I visited here. I enjoyed seeing the pictures of your field trips. Thanks for posting your favorite things.
I love old movies too, and they have to be B and W, it's just not the same otherwise.
Alas I sometimes forget some of those names when I spot them in a movie, but luckily I have a couple of those books of old movies to see if I can find them when my 80 year old memory fails me. What happened to our old movie gene in my darling youngest grandaughter? Those original Shirleys were all in b& w. I tried to interst her in watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, when she was here last week, but she informed me she wanted to see a kids movie, meaning Disney & no other.
Hi Tammy.......I am so glad to be back with my blogging family. Missed you but I am one that can not play till my work is done.........and the work took much longer then I thought. I like you enjoy a good movie and pop corn to...............Sharon K
I honestly thought my husband Rob was the last person on earth who loves old movies. I swear, he watches old movies all the time and if they're black and white, all the better. Me? Not so much.
Anyone who's known you for five minutes knows you love old movies, so I'm sure not surprised it's your favorite thing. :-)
I love old movies!! When I was single and childless, Sunday was AMC day for me and I'd watch all day while cleaning or doing laundry. Now I only get AMC day when I'm sick. I love Cary Grant too :)
I love the old classics, too, and can't name many of the actors! lol
I think it goes back to wanting a simpler era.
I do enjoy old movies, but my favorites are ones with Bing, Danny and Bob Hope in it. They just don't make them like that anymore!
Oh Yay...so glad to see there's others in my classic movie club!
Some of you mentioned some other great actors, Gregory Peck, Gary Cooper, Bob and Bing...and love Danny Kay! And what about Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn...
Just doing this post and now reading your replies, I am SO ready to pop some corn and watch an old movie! :)
LOL that was like my sons running from the room saying NOT COUNTRY MUSIC!!!! lol I also love the old movies...they just don't make movies like they use to. Gregory Peck was always a favourite with me...swoooooon! hehe xoxo
Very cool! I will have to check out your other blog. : )
I love old movies too! I haven't yet got my daughter to appreciate them yet, but there's still time!
I still remember laying in the living room in sleeping bags watching Mysterious Island with my brothers and being so scared!
My favorties are here.
I love the old movies too Tammy, but I don't have your expertise. My Mom - on the other hand - could probably sit and chat for hours with you about all of them. She has a great memory for all the actors as well.
I can remember, when my sister and I were little, the highlight of our saturday was getting to eat our supper in the livingroom while we watched a Shirley Temple movie. I still love those movies. I can sing practically every song from "The Good Ship Lollipop" to "Animal Crackers in my Soup"!!
I enjoy watching classic movies too from time to time. I never get tired of watching Sound of Music, Annie and Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Thanks for visiting. Take care!
We love the Little Rascals but have you ever noticed how many whippins kids get in those ?? :)) Maybe that's why children were generally more well behaved back then..:))
Thanks for visiting my blog. I've seen you around blogland but somehow never made it over here to visit you.
John Wayne is my hero! I love westerns, war movies, mostly things like that. I like what most would consider "guy movies" more than chick flicks. More favorites: Ernest Borgnine, Lee Marvin, James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Sam Elliot, Tommy Lee Jones and on and on.
It took me a good hour to explain to my daughter (she was 16 at the time) that even though we had a color TV, a black and white show still showed up in B&W. LOL! ;D
The template you're using is the same one I started with over a year ago, "Thisaway Blue". It's still a favorite of mine. If I had to change templates now I'd probably go back to this one. At least I already know most of the coding for it, and I still have a copy of this one saved "just in case".
The other day my kids watched Singin' in the Rain and loved it. My son loves White Christmas too. He laughs when Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye dress up as girls and sing.
My daughter watched Easter Parade with me this past Sunday. She was excited to see "Dorothy" (aka Judy Garland) in the movie.
Speaking of which, The Wizard of Oz might help your kids get over the whole black and white versus color thing?
BTW, check out my classic movies blog - http://martinisandoysters.blogspot.com
I picked up a dvd called "The Best of Barney". It's eight awesome episodes of the old B&W Andy Griffith show. The girlies LOVE it!
Ironically, there's one episode that Barney is not in at all. Maybe that's why I only had to pay $1 for it!
I love old movies...not quite "know" them as deeply as you do...but I love them just the same. Thanks for this post.
:-) Susan
I love Shirley Temple too. My kids were the same way about black and white. So funny! I am very impressed with your knowledge... how do you remember all of that?
You are my sister! My mom named me after Linda Darnell, by the way (old movie star). Now come get your random questions at 2nd Cup!
My husband and I enjoy watching old movies--we only have an antenna on our TV, so our choices are limited where movies are concerned. Yet, whenever we go to the library to borrow a movie, it's usually black and white. I'm not very good with the actors and actresses, unless it's Katherine Hepburn or Cary Grant, and I'm a big fan of Gary Cooper. XO, Jill
I love old movies too! Hubby likes them even a bit better than me and watches TCM all the time when he's here. You know, they just don't make 'em like they used to!
My kids have always loved Shirley Temple and Gene Kelly. We have all the old musicals memorized; having watched them a gazillion times does that to you!
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