Doris Day, Sandra Dee and Grease The Movie.

Prior to last year I had never bothered to watch a film starring Doris Day, her sweet girl next door image put me off her comedies but I saw Calamity Jane (1953) recently and it was enjoyable, however my growing tolerance dropped again when I tried to watch Do Not Disturb (1965). My personal preference for female leads are for the vamps or femme fatales like Barbara Stanwyck rather than the 'oldest virgin in town'.

My daughter's favourite film is Grease (1978), I have watched this film with her many times and always wondered why the cast chosen are clearly in their 20s and 30s. Stockard Channing played teen-aged Rizzo (the video clip below she is in the purple shirt) at the age of 34! The film contains a song called 'Look at me I'm Sandra Dee' which until I watched Imitation of Life (1959) I had no idea Miss Dee was a real person. 

Sandra Dee had the same 'girl next door' wholesome image as Miss Day. She did not make many films but all were ingénue roles which is why she and Oliver Newton Johns' Sandy Olson character in Grease were mimicked in the following sequence.  

Child Actors; Jackie Coogan, The Kid and Richard Eyer, The Genie.

Years ago whilst watching Superman the Movie (1978) with a friend he commented that the actor playing the Daily Planet editor Perry White was the child actor from Charlie Chaplin's The Kid (1921). He was wrong, that actor is Jackie Cooper, the Kid was played by Jackie Coogan.

It is estimated that during his acting career Coogan earning up to 4 million dollars. His parents spent the money on a luxury lifestyle; fur coats, jewellery and expensive vehicles. In 1938 Master Coogan sued his parents but most of the money had gone, however his legal action became known as Coogan's Bill or Coogan's Act.

Thanks to Coogan's action 15% of a child entertainer earnings should be put aside in a trust to prevent this happening again.

Last week I saw the western Canyon River (1956) for the first time and looking closely at the boy playing a widow's son thought 'there's that kid again'! That kid is Richard Eyer born in 1945, his must successful role was the genie in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958). Eyer appeared in many TV shows and films however Sinbad was his last big screen role. When I looked on web sites many of his earlier films are not mentioned but if you watch as many old films as I do he can be spotted again and again. Eyer had freckles, auburn curly hair and a normal chubby appearance compared to some child actors today who are made to look like miniature adults.

Smoking; Casablanca, Now Voyager and None but the Brave.

Both my parents were smokers however I am a non smoker but find it interesting how smoking is portrayed in old films, I wonder if remade would directors change well known smoking scenes?

The most famous has to be the Now Voyager (1942) ending; Bette Davis' character Charlotte Vale is handed a lit cigarette from Jerry Durance (Paul Henreid). WOW!

In Casablanca (1942), Rick (Humphrey Bogart) decides to sell his café / nightclub to a man called Ferrari but instead of cash asks him for 100 cartons of American cigarettes.

Frank Sinatra made his directorial debit with the (1965) war film None but the Brave.

A platoon of Japanese soldiers are marooned on a  pacific island with no means of contacting the outside world. An American plane carrying US soldiers crashes on the island and a truce is agreed in which each group inhabits one side of the island. A Japanese soldier who is skilled at spear fishing leaves some of his catch on the beach, these are collected by a US soldier who leaves American cigarettes behind in exchange.  

There are a large selection of vintage sexist smoking adverts but this is my favourite.