Classic Cinema Survey

Over at A Noodle in A Haystack, Amanda created a very cool survey in honor of her 50th blog post, so I thought I would join in on the fun.

1. What is your all-time favorite Clark Gable movie?



No Doubt about it, my favorite is "It Happened One Night"(1934)


2. Do you like Joan Crawford best as a comedienne or a drama-queen?



I think she did equally well in both comedy and drama but I prefer to see her as a drama queen. She was excellent in her 1930's dramas!


3. In your opinion, should Ginger Rogers have made more musicals post-Fred Astaire?



I think Ginger made the wise decision in staying clear of musicals(minus a few) in the 1940's and 50's and instead veering towards comedies and dramas. Personally I don't think I would have liked to have seen more of her in musicals during that period.


4. I promise not to cause you bodily (or any other serious) harm if you don't agree with me on this one. So please be honest: do you like Elizabeth Taylor? Hm?


I'm a bit backwards from everyone else, when I first found out who she was and I saw her in a few movies, I didn't like her at all. Now that I'm out of that phase, I'd say I like her but she isn't a favorite of mine.




5. Who is your favorite offscreen Hollywood couple?




I want to be different from everyone else, so I'm going to say Don Ameche and Honore Prendergast. They were so committed to one another and remained married until her death in 1986. They married in 1932 and had six children. They were such a lovely and adorable couple! Of course, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward(married for 50 years!), Karl Malden and Mona Greenberg(married for 70 years!!) would be my other favorite couples.


6. How about onscreen Hollywood couple?


This isn't a hard question to answer at all! Jeffrey Lynn and Priscilla Lane :D



7. Favorite Jean Arthur movie?


Jean was an excellent comedienne and actress and this is kind of difficult to choose but I would say my favorite is "The More the Merrier"(1943).



8. What was the first Gregory Peck movie you saw?
I'm pretty sure it was "Roman Holiday"(1953).





9. What film made you fall in love with Alfred Hitchcock? (And for those of you that say, "I don't like Hitchcock" -- what is wrong with you?!)
I believe it was "Psycho"(1960) and I remember after watching it, I was urging my Mom and younger brothers that they needed to watch it! I absolutely was in love with Hitchcock from there on.



10. What is your favorite book-to-movie adaption?



My two absolute favorites would have to be "Anna Karenina"(1935) and "Madame Bovary"(1949).



11. Do you prefer Shirley Temple as a little girl or as a teenager?
As a little girl, she was so darn adorable in "Heidi"(1937).



12. Favorite character actor?

Ohh this is a toughie! If I really went out there and chose my favorite character actors, it would take me all day to finish this, so I'll only list two. Spring Byington and Charles Coburn but if I had all day, it would be much more than just those two! Lol.




13. Favorite Barbara Stanwyck role?

She's in my favorite movie and she is absolute genius in it as well, in "The Lady Eve"(1941) as Eugenia 'Jean' Harrington.




14. Who is your favorite of Cary Grant's leading ladies?

Katharine Hepburn- Cary and Kate were magic together when they were in a movie together. :)




15. Bette Davis or Joan Crawford?

Bette Davis!





16. What actors and/or actresses do you think are underrated?
Another question, I could spend all day answering. I'm one of those people who loves the underrated actors and actresses, sometimes more so than A-listed actors. I'm really really going to narrow it down, with Jeffrey Lynn and Ida Lupino. Of course, you knew I had to include Jeffrey! Lol.



17. What actors and/or actresses do you think are overrated? I hope no tomatoes will be thrown at me for this but I'm going to say John Garfield. I'll give him credit, where credit is due for his performance in "Four Daughters"(1938) as Mickey Borden but basically after that his roles weren't very different from one another. The critics gave him way too much credit. I do think he was a good actor but I feel he's not as great as people claim him to be.



18. Do you watch movies made pre-1980 exclusively, or do you spice up your viewing-fare with newer films? Occasionally, I'll watch movies post 1965 but more often I'll stick with old movies.



19. Is there an actor/actress who you have seen in a film and immediately loved? If so, who? Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in "Gunga Din"(1939) and Joan Fontaine in "Rebecca"(1940).



20. Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire?

Gene Kelly!





21. Favorite Ginger Rogers drama?

My favorite Ginger Rogers drama is "Kitty Foyle"(1940). When I first saw this, I absolutely detested it but I recently saw a couple of months ago and saw a new light in it. Now it's a favorite of mine!




22. If you wrote a screenplay, who would be in your dream cast and what roles would they play? (Mixing actors and actresses from different generations is allowed: any person from any point in their career.)


I would have Helen Burgess, Philip Reed, Jeffrey Lynn, and Ida Lupino in a film together. Ida Lupino plays the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who gets involved with Philip Reed, who's head is in too deep. Jeffrey Lynn plays Philip's friend and tries to pull him out of the mess but has Ida Lupino pulling him into the trouble too. Helen Burgess is Jeffrey Lynn's girlfriend and tries to help him but she soon falls for Philip and her heart is crossed between the two men. The film would be distributed by Warner Bros and directed by Raoul Walsh. The film would have been released in 1939(and Helen would have been alive!)


23. Favorite actress?

Myrna Loy




24. Favorite Actor?

Not a huge surprise here- Jeffrey Lynn



25. And now, the last question. What is your favorite movie from each of these genres:

Drama: "Four Daughters"(1938)

Romance: "Love with the Proper Stranger"(1963)

Musical: "Singin in the Rain"(1952)

Comedy: "The Lady Eve"(1941)

Western: "The Searchers"(1956)

Hitchcock (he has a genre all to himself): "Rebecca"(1940)