Dancer #3- Marge Champion

Probably the most underrated dancer on my list of favorite dancers, Marge Champion was able to make quite a name for herself in movies and on Broadway. Though Marge hasn't done as many as films as Gene or Fred, she still put quite an impression on me, even though I haven't seen many movies of hers. In nearly all of her films, she is able to steal the show from the other actors. Take for instance, when she was in "Three for the Show"(the first movie I saw with her in it), she was absolutely fantastic in the role as Betty Grable's best friend, who seeks to have a relationship with Gower(Gower's character is fawning over Betty but in the end, we all know who he ends up with). Even though, the film isn't remembered that much today, Marge's performance in the film is remarkable to watch. She is an absolute delight in the film especially when she dances with Gower.






One of my favorite things about Marge is that she comes off as such a happy and delightful person, who doesn't let the small things get to her. She has a very uplifting personality that shines in every movie that she has been in. Even as she got older, she still had a positive and welcoming attitude towards her fans.






If she had gotten the chance to dance with Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly, it would have been electric and definitely worth watching.Though she didn't get the chance to dance with either men, she did get to dance with her husband Gower. It's an absolute treat to watch the two dance as they express their feelings through dancing.




Some people will give up as they get older, but Marge, she's not one to give up. Nearly 90 years old(she turns 90 in September), she continues to dance even today. That's why Miss Marge Champion is not only one of my absolute favorite dancers but she's one of my idols because she isn't going to give up on life at all.


Movies I would recommend of hers-
Show Boat
Three for the Show
Lovely to Look at
Give a Girl a Break
Everything I have is Yours






Best Decade- 1950's



Best Partner- Gower Champion

The 1986 Academy Awards MGM Musical Tribute Video

Dancer #2- Gene Kelly

Polar opposites in attire and style, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were the most talented and popular dancers of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Fans flocked to see the dapper Fred and the athletic Gene in movies. It was often quite hard in choosing which dancer you liked more because they both were so fun to watch. They both possessed a light-hearted personality to fit with their screen persona. Though it seems right now, that I'm only talking about Fred and Gene, today is all about Gene. Just like how yesterday I talked of Fred's style, today I'm going to talk about Gene's style of dancing.




Gene's style was masculine and athletic and that's what attracted men and women alike to the theaters. Just as Fred was a perfectionist with his dancing, so was Gene. They both wanted to captivate the audience to be in awe of their dancing and they both were able to accomplish that goal.



The reason I really love Gene Kelly is because he looks like the average Joe but then he brings out this dancing style that really makes you take notice. His most famous dancing scene is probably when he is deeply and happily in love and singing in the rain.







Through the 1940's to the 1960's and beyond, Gene kept on dancing and making audiences go wild. My absolute favorite scene of Gene dancing is with Debbie Reynolds and Donald O' Connor in "Singin in The Rain". Though the entire movie is a great pick me up when you aren't having the best day, that particular scene always puts a smile to my face.





Best Decade- 1950's











Best Partner- Judy Garland and Rita Hayworth


Movies I would recommend of his-

Singin in the Rain
An American in Paris
For Me and My Gal
Cover Girl
On the Town

Dancer #1- Fred Astaire

I'm often going back and forth on who I like better Fred or Gene and I'm always in the middle with it. The thing is you can never compare the two because their dancing styles were completely different from one another. While Gene was a masculine and strong dancing man, Fred was a classy and gentlemanly man.




Why I really love Fred Astaire's dancing is his ability in not only making himself look good but his partner as well. He was able to be team up with anyone and he could make them look so good. His most famous pairing was with Ginger Rogers. When they came on the screen together, you knew you were going to see some magic happen right before your very eyes.









His style was always so dapper and sophisticated in all of his movies.

One of my favorite dance scenes with Fred and Ginger


Even as he got into his 50's, he still brought his incredible dancing skills to the movie screen for fans to enjoy.


Not only did he pair fantastically with Ginger, he was able to dance on a roof and with a coat hanger but my absolute favorite song and dance scene with Fred Astaire is "Isn't it a lovely day", where he sings to Ginger Rogers. Though it is rainy and ugly outside, you can feel the chemistry between the two dancers and that's why I love them. Enjoy!



Best Decade- 1930's




Best Partner- Ginger Rogers

Movies I would recommend of his-

Easter Parade
Swing Time
Top Hat
The Gay Divorcee
You'll Never Get Rich

The Underdog Series Part 8

• One of the most charming men of Hollywood was none other than Douglas Fairbanks Jr. He was often described as the perfect gentleman and his ex-girlfriends would agree with that as well. Though his father was the very famous and talented silent screen star, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr was able to establish his career in Hollywood. Not only is he one of my favorite actors but he's just so charming in all of his movies. I know that I use the word quite a bit but if you are looking for charming, just look under Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

• Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr was born on December 9th 1909 to parents Douglas and Beth Sully Fairbanks in New York City, New York. He was the only child of the couple and when he was just a child, the couple divorced. His mother was often described as overbearing while his father though known around the world, was a bit distant towards his only child. In 1920, a year after his divorce from Jr's Mother, Douglas Sr remarried famed silent screen actress, Mary Pickford. Jr. got on cordially with his new step-mother.

• As the 1920's were in full swing, Jr began his career in movies. His career started off with smaller roles but as he got older, the roles became better suited for him. In the 1920's Douglas met his future wife Joan Crawford. At first neither were interested in one another but as time went on, they began a romance with one another and in 1929 the couple married. The marriage would last just 4 years. In his autobiography, Douglas said that Joan was often too focused on the way she looked, more than anything else. Joan Crawford was a woman, who was often worried about her appearance and would make sure she would look fine all the time. Also included in the autobiography, Jr says he felt that Joan was jealous of his step-mother Mary Pickford and would often try to be up one on her. Though it does appear, Jr criticizes Joan in his book, what he actually does is show us that everyone has flaws and that one of her flaws was she was worry wart when it came to her appearance.

• The 1930's was the best time for Douglas, not only was his Hollywood career on fire but he also had found many loves during that time such as Marlene Dietrich and famed Broadway actress Gertrude Lawrence. Though he fell in and out of love during the 1930's, one love really stuck with- his future wife Mary Lee. The couple would remain together until her untimely death in the late 1980's. Mary Lee was Douglas' love of his life and the same for her.

• Some of his best movies during the 1930's included "Gunga Din", "Having Wonderful Time", and "The Young in Heart".

• While reading his autobiography, I hardly ever read him say anything bad about anyone. He really was a gentleman through and through.

• Throughout the 1930's and 1940's, Doug continued his work in movies but his attention went more towards political reasons and he was often absent from the screen to fulfill his obligation to the President of the United States- FDR.

• Two days after his 30th birthday, his father passed away at the age of 56.

• One of his close Hollywood friends' was British actor Sir Laurence Olivier. Featured in the bio, was the guy's first encounter with cocaine. Poor Laurence Olivier got so sick from it that he was ill for a bit and the duo never tried the addictive drug again.

• It seemed Douglas' career was on a standstill but in the 1980's, he got a opportunity that he had to go for. Though known today for not being that great of a film, "Ghost Story" featured Douglas with Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas(who would pass away a year after making this) and Patricia Neal. An all star cast of actors at a time where older actors were often cast as the grumpy neighbor or grandpa but all the actors were able to show that they all were enjoying the attention, that they once possessed in their earlier years.

• In 1988, the same year his first autobiography came out, his beloved and cherished wife Mary Lee passed away. After the death of his wife, Doug remarried for one last time, Vera Shelton in 1991 to 2000 when he passed away.

• Though I didn't mention it at all, Doug and Mary did have children. They had three daughters named Daphne, Victoria, and Melissa.

• Also during the 1980's, Christina Crawford came out with her scathing accounts on her adoptive mother, Joan Crawford entitled "Mommie Dearest", which was made into a movie starring Faye Dunaway. Doug said that Joan had never acted like that when he knew her.

• At the age of 90, Doug died of a heart attack in his New York home. He is now buried in the same crypt at his famous father.

• Best Films-

"The Young in Heart"
"Gunga Din"
"Little Caesar"
"Having Wonderful Time"
"The Prisoner of Zenda"



I'm sorry that I took such a long time in writing this up but everytime I wanted to, I was sidetrack by something else. So now I have it up and within a week or so, I post the next candidate for the Underdog Series. :)

Very Sorry!

I'm so sorry for not being able to get on in the past few days, I've been so busy. Plus my lousy computer is starting to really die on me, so I have to get onto my brother's, when he's not on. So since today, I have a little more extra time, I'm going to try to post all three blog posts, the Underdog Series blog post, the Guess Who blog post(which will be featured in here), and the 1st dancer this week.

Okay so the results for the guessing game are from left to right starting with the ladies and Rock Hudson on the bottom and they are Debbie Reynolds, Shirley Maclaine, Marge Champion, Sheree North, Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, Lee Remick, Dana Wynter, and Joan Collins. Now for the jumping police officers from left to right and they are Nick Adams, Don Murray, Tommy Sands, Fess Parker, Gower Champion, Buddy Ebsen, James Garner, and the man in the back sitting on the rock is none other than Mr.Paul Newman.


There's only a couple of people on there, that I'm not too familiar with like Dana Wynter and Sheree North but I'll learn more about them as I go. Yeah so hopefully next blog post, will be either the dancer's blog post or the Underdog Series, we'll see which one I can get in first. I hope you all had a great weekend and I promise to write those blogs. :)

Stay tuned!

So next week I'm planning to have a dancers week dedicated to my favorite dancers on the big screen from the 1930's to the 1950's. I'm really excited about this because I really haven't mentioned how much I adore musicals and dancers. I think musicals are my favorite genre of movies and so I finally get a chance to show my love for it. Each day next week I will write about one of my favorite dancers, I haven't decided yet who it's all going to be yet but I'll let you know as soon as possible. Along with me writing about why I love the dancer and what my favorite movies of theirs are, I'll also be including pictures and video clips of them dancing. Also I will be writing up the next Underdog Series blog post today or tomorrow, depends on how free I am and I will also post the answer to who else was in the picture that I posted earlier this week. Oh and if you haven't had the chance to check out the other theme weeks, you definitely should. It started with Raquelle and her Norma Shearer week and Lolita began her own version of a theme week. So stay tuned for a week full of dancers starting April 28th - May 2nd. Ta-Ta for Now. :)

Going on a date with Dana Andrews

Dana tries very hard to hide his excitement of going on a date with you but he can't.....



Well it looks like the people have spoken and the poll is out for 'If Dana Andrews' was your date, where would you go?' Well here are the results.....


Coming in last place.....


The Arcade, no one was up to going to the arcade with Dana. No silly games for the voters, huh? The Arcade had 0 votes, which isn't that surprising. Why would you want to go to the arcade with Dana, when you could go to dinner or the movies, or even to an amusement park?



Next up with an incredible 2 votes was going to the movies with Dana. I hope when you go to the movies, you aren't seeing a movie of his. I heard a lot of a actors say they hate watching themselves on the big screen, maybe that was for him too.



Coming in 2nd place was going out to dinner with Dana. I hope that there is some yummy food included. It came in with 4 votes, so close to winning..




Votes wanted something more, something that was excited and adventurous and fun..... What could that possibly be??? Well it was going to be.......






AN AMUSEMENT PARK!!!! How much fun would that be to go on roller coasters with Dana Andrews sitting by your side. I love roller coasters a lot, so I'm one of those people who voted for amusement park. Amusement Parks had one more vote than dinner. Have fun with the rides. :)

As usual, the next poll will be up really soon. I hope your day is going swell. Ta-Ta for now. :)

So many stars but can you name them?

-Click here for a bigger picture Photo courtesy of LIFE

Ones guessed correctly- Shirley Maclaine, Rock Hudson, Joan Collins, Debbie Reynolds, and Marge Champion


I just love this picture that I found today but as I was looking at it I thought why not make it into a guessing game instead of typing everyone's name down myself. Let me just say, everyone in this photograph is/was an actor or actress. So enjoy and I'll be getting some more posts up within the week! Ta-Ta for now :)

No, My Darling Daughter Review

Last Thursday I thought I would watch the British 60's comedy, "No, My Darling Daughter" starring Michael Redgrave, Juliet Mills, and Michael Craig. Being quite unfamiliar with the leads in the movie, I thought I would at least try it. If I didn't like it, then that was the end of it. I had quite a pessimistic view on the movie early on, just because I wasn't familiar with anyone in it. So quite grudgingly, I sat down and watched the movie expecting a rather boring movie but I was wrong and I'm quite happy that I was. Besides the fact that I wanted to try something new, Casey had seen the movie earlier and enjoyed it immensely, so that's why I gave it a try. Even with a good review on the film, I was quite skeptical about it.


The film begins with a young woman who is going to leave school to go to Paris upon her father's request. The only thing that I knew about Juliet Mills was from the soap opera "Passions" and I didn't want to base my whole opinion on the show, so I watched in wonder at her youthfulness and curiosity in the film. Tansy has always stayed arms length to her father in that she never really disobeyed him until a young American comes between them. Though the two start off as friends, it becomes more than expected which doesn't please her father. It's her first chance to really rebel against her father and to make her own decisions without someone watching her every move. One problem though, a slightly older British man watches over her and the two often bicker over small things, like where her hat is at.






Though it doesn't hit Tansy until later that she is falling for the wrong guy, you can tell she is still innocent and still filled with that youthfulness that she had possessed in the beginning. Throughout the entire film, you watch Tansy mature from silly school girl to a more mature young lady, whose heart is often lost in different places.


I greatly enjoyed Michael Redgrave, whose character was often filled with sarcasm and wit. I actually had a difficult time deciding who my favorite character was because I really liked them all. None of them were unlikable but they did have their flaws which only made them look human. Michael's character is a father is only concerned about his daughter's well being and Juliet's character is at a stage where she really begins to grow up, even though she still holds onto some immaturity.

I really hope that this movie comes out on DVD in America soon because I would so be the first to buy it. It is really a film to check out and because of seeing this movie, I became so eager to see more films of Michael Redgrave's. I've only seen one so far which was "The Lady Vanishes", which I also loved but I am more than willing to see more. My grade for "No, My Darling Daughter" is B+. :)

Stuck in an elevator with who???

Personally for me, I hate elevators and the mere thought of being stuck in one makes me nauseous but what if you had someone there to comfort you and make you feel less nauseous. Someone who could calm you down and help you get out of the elevator quickly and easily. Who could be that one person, who could have that soothing voice that would be able to both calm you and make you get out of there as soon as possible? Well here are the results of the poll!



I'm seriously not surprised that no one chose Joan Crawford because quite frankly don't you think that you would be the one trying to calm her down? That's what I think and that's why Joan walked away with 0 votes and she's not too happy about it either. You better keep the wire hangers far far away from her or she'll get you.


James Dean really felt he could do better, but his hiding away didn't help the matter... He came out with 1 vote. Maybe he's terrified of elevators too, who knows...


It was a three way tie, with each getting 2 votes but still not enough to get to the top. Gene Kelly tried to charm you but you just weren't interested and Joan and Loretta tried so hard to talk to you but you pushed them away. You were beginning to panic, there's no need to talk if you feel nauseated. Joan at least feels happy that she got more votes than the other Joan(Crawford).
Loretta just shines her dazzling smile and will try harder to get your votes next time.

Gene feels the defeat but won't show his defeat. He just keeps on dancing...

Joan just smells the flowers and forgets the whole matter ever occurred.



Coming in second was the very very charming Cary Grant and Fred Astaire. They nearly made it to the top but still not close enough. At least they stole your hearts for a while, right? They both came in with 4 votes. The oldest competitors thought they could win it but they were wrong.Both men continue to show their charming selves even after loosing....


But the one person that you could really rely on was the one and only Miss Barbara Stanwyck. Who so kindly told you to calm down and to relax and showed you how to get out of the elevator. What a nice lady! Barbara is quite proud of her accomplishment and she was thanked by the 7 votes that she received.


So yeah I'm sorry I haven't been on but it's been very hectic because of the Easter holiday and everything. But I will get some new stuff up this week, so you better be on the watch. I will have the new poll up today, so make sure to vote on that.I hope you all had a fantastic Easter yesterday! Ta-Ta for now. :)

My New Favorite Movie thanks to Casey

I just finished watching the delightful British film "No,My Darling Daughter" starring Michael Redgrave, Juliet Mills, and Michael Craig. I'll come up with a blog post on the film soon but I just wanted to say how fun this movie was. If you haven't seen this, you ought to see it! It's a hilarious early 60's film, that is just so charming. :) If you haven't read Casey's review, then you should, I feel the exact same way about the film. Review coming soon! Night all!

The Underdog Series Part 7

Janet Gaynor is a personal favorite actress of mine and I am so happy to be adding her to the Underdog Series. In my opinion, I feel that she deserves to be included on the list because she is so incredibly under looked today and not as many people know her as well. I seriously haven't seen a movies of hers, that I didn't enjoy. So sit back and enjoy the Underdog Series Part 7 starring Janet Gaynor.


Janet Gaynor was born Laura Augusta Gainor on October 6th 1906 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When she was just a child, her parents and her moved to San Francisco, California. She would graduate from high school in 1923 at the age of 16. After high school, Janet enrolled into a secretarial school in Los Angeles. Being wide-eyed and excited because of being in Los Angeles, where stars were made, Janet wanted to try and see if you could make into the movies. Fairly quickly, Janet got some bit parts but as she continued her unbilled roles, people were beginning to take notice of her. At the age of 20, Janet was cast in the disaster film "The Johnstown Flood", based on the horrendous flooding that had occurred in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1889.


After her success in "The Johnstown Flood", Janet began to get meatier roles such as "The Return of Peter Grimm" and "The Blue Eagle". It was until 1927 though, that Janet began to reach her biggest potential when she was casted in "7th Heaven" and "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans". Janet was nominated for and won for "7th Heaven", "Street Angel, and "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans" for best actress. She and her co-star Charles Farrel made several films together including that of "Street Angel" and "7th Heaven". It was even rumored that they were an item and in Douglas Fairbanks Jr's autobiogarphy, he claims that he knew they were an item.


Janet's career was at an all-time high but new things were coming to Hollywood and it was sound. Several actors and actresses who were popular during the silent era had a a difficult time trying to make it to talking pictures because their accents were too thick to understand but Janet was perfectly fine. Her voice was somewhat squeaky but it was perfectly fine for the way she looked.


In the late 1920's and early 1930's, Janet continued to shine. In 1929, She married Jesse Lydell Peck but the marriage lasted for just 3 years. She remarried in August 1939, to costume designer,they would remain married until his death in 1959. The couple had a child together named Robin Gaynor Adrian, who was born in 1940. After her 2nd husband's death, Janet married for one last time to a much younger man named Paul Gregory. They stayed married until her death in 1984.


Throughout the early 1930's, Janet was still going strong in her movies. She was cast alongside such actors as Henry Fonda, Robert Montgomery, Fredric March, and Robert Taylor.


Her career began to slow down a bit in the late 30's and one film really brought her back "A Star is Born", the film was about a young woman who vies to be an actress in Hollywood but when she seems to get everything she wants, there are some things she is unable to fix. Not only was it a huge comeback for Janet but also for her co-star Fredric March. After "A Star is Born", Janet did a few more films and decided to retire from films all together. Although in 1957, she would do one film called "Bernardine", but she would never come back to her once successful fame.


Janet did several television appearances but typically stayed away from the spot light. In September of 1982, Janet, her close friend Mary Martin(Larry Hagman's mother), her husband Paul Gregory, and Martin's agent were in a serious car accident. The car accident was caused by a drunk driver. The accident was fatal to Martin's agent and Janet suffered several injuries including 11 broken ribs, a ruptured bladder, a broken collar bone, a bleeding kidney, and multiple pelvic fractures. After the accident, Janet went through several operations but she became weaker and weaker from the injuries. Her husband Paul Gregory and Mary Martin were injured in the accident but thoughts were entirely on Janet. On September 14th 1984, Janet passed away.



Best Films-

"7th Heaven"
"Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans"
"Small Town Girl"
"A Star is Born"
"The Young in Heart"


Janet brought an innocence and happiness to the screen throughout her film career and will continue to be missed. My next candidate for The Underdog Series will be Douglas Fairbanks Jr and I'll have plenty on him. Hopefully I can post something else besides my Underdog Series posts, so be on the lookout for that!