The Silver Theater Film Society

I think the order of my list of the greatest films of all is shifting. It does that sometimes. So as of today…..

1. The Godfather I and II [two parts of the same work]
2. To Kill A Mockingbird
3. Casablanca
4. Sunset Boulevard
5. The Wizard of Oz
6. It’s A Wonderful Life
7. The Green Mile
8. Forrest Gump
9. A River Runs Through It
10. The Bridge Over The River Kwai
11. Pulp Fiction
12. Rear Window
13. Legends of the Fall
14. Mildred Pierce
15. North By Northwest

Before becoming an actress, Margaret Hamilton was a kindergarten teacher and among her students were Jim Backus [Thurston Howell -Gilligan's Island, and Mr Magoo] and William Windom [Star Trek, Invasion of the Body Snatchers].

Karolyn Zuzu Grimes was 6 when she was in the film It's A Wonderful Life. Now she's 83 and she loves going to IAWL events. She signs little bells.

Dumbest line in a movie ever. The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy: "The Broom. May we have it? And then the Einstein guard says, "Yes and take it with you." Did he think she just wanted to hang around the castle for a while and then decide she'd just leave it? Seriously.....

Orson Welles was once on a movie set and he was sitting while the crew were arranging light and other equipment and correcting production problems. As Welles sat patiently a crew member stopped and apologized saying, "I'm sorry we are taking so long Mr. Welles, we hope to be ready soon." Welles' response was, "Don't be sorry, that's what I'm paid for. The acting is free."

Happy 99th Birthday Joyce Randolph! Born Today, October 21, in 1924... Over 10 film and television roles, but most notably as Trixie Norton in The Honeymooners!

Hey Hollywood fans, I found this to be so informative. Have you ever wondered if there were scripts for silent films? They could have been saying "I have to pick up my laundry on Thursday" but apparently not. This guy wrote to Lillian Gish, and if you don't know who she is shame on you, and this was her response.

I'm having lots of problems with the site tonight so I'm sure you're getting this twice. Sorry. If I can ever get back to the site I'll delete one. Patty Duke got to play Helen Keller in the movie The Miracle Worker, and in fact without really uttering a line won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The Miracle Worker, Anne Bancroft, won Best Actress. But the cool thing is Patty Duke actually got to meet Helen Keller. Sadly they are both long gone. But what an inspirational story.

A little movie trivia to kick off the weekend. During the filming of the beloved classic "Wizard of Oz" in late 1938, the MGM production staff was looking for a coat for actor Frank Morgan to wear in his role as charlatan Professor Marvel. Mr. Morgan also played the Wizard and various small roles in the film. The film's publicist explained the kind of coat they were looking for: "They wanted grandeur gone to seed. A nice-looking coat but very tattered."
According to the publicist: ". . . the wardrobe department went down to an old second-hand store on Main Street and bought a whole rack of coats. And Frank Morgan and the wardrobe man and Victor Fleming [the director] got together and chose one. It was kind of a Prince Albert coat. It was black broadcloth and it had a velvet collar, but the nap was all worn off the velvet."
The coat fit Morgan perfectly. It had exactly the right look of shabby gentility, so they used it in the film.
One hot afternoon during filming, Frank Morgan happened to turn out the pocket. Inside was a name that caused Morgan to do a double take -- the name was "L. Frank Baum." Mr. Baum, of course, was the creator of "The Wizard of Oz." Back in 1900, he wrote the book that the film was based on, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
The folks at MGM knew this was an astounding find. They figured out the identity of the tailor in Chicago and sent him pictures of the coat. The tailor sent back a notarized letter saying that the coat had been made for Mr. Baum. And then Mr. Baum's widow identified the coat, too.
MGM was convinced, but others thought the story was a publicity stunt. It sounds almost too good to be true--but what a great story.

The big plot hole in 'Casablanca': “Casablanca” at the end, nobody is checking tickets, so they could have both gotten on the plane.

But it's still my 5th favorite film of all time.......

Of course it's Elvis' birthday. He would have 87 today. HBO showed the latest Elvis Film today and TCM showed Elvis documentaries and films tonight. See his worthy films. Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock, and Kid Creole. All from the 50's.

This is Peg Entwistle. She was a Hollywood actress who got tired to the unfairness and shenanigans of Hollywood, so she climbed to the top of the H in the Hollywood sign and threw herself to her death.

The older Shelley Winters was once asked to audition for a project. She was told to bring along a head shot and a resume. She arrived with an oversized Chanel bag. When asked if she brought a photo she opened her bag and pulled out an Oscar and said "Here's my photo." When they asked for a resume she did the same thing, she pulling out another Oscar and said, "Here's my F"bleep"ing Resume.

Author Harper Lee and Mary Badham [who played Scout - essentially Harper herself] on a rest break on the set of To Kill A Mockingbird. The great American novel teaching us all a little bit about racism. Many years later I was lucky enough to be at this place at Universal's backlot once.

This is The Scarecrow, The Wiked Witch, and the Tin Man in 1969. Ray Bolger, Margaret Hamilton, and Jack Haley in 1969. Thirty years after The Wizard of Oz was released.

The featured star on TCM every Thursday in September will be Humphrey Bogart. Hopefully we can see my 5th favorite movie of all time, Casablanca. We may also see the great Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

On August 18th, 2022 the last adult cast member of "It's a Wonderful Life" passed away. She was Virginia Patton Moss who gave up the glamour of Hollywood to become the wife of a noted physician in Ann Arbor Michigan. She became a mover and shaker there sitting on many boards of civic organizations. She was also a docent at the Art Museum there. She truly had a wonderful life.

As you might suspect, because of the movie, Elvis will be one of the features in TCM's Summer Under the Stars this month. Some of his films are really worth seeing.

In MEMORY of RICHARD EGAN on his BIRTHDAY -
Career years: 1949 - 1987
Born Richard Egan, American actor. After beginning his career in 1949, he subsequently won a Golden Globe Award for his performances in the films The Glory Brigade (1953) and The Kid from Left Field (1953). He went on to star in many films such as Underwater! (1955), Seven Cities of Gold (1955), The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956), Love Me Tender (1956), Tension at Table Rock (1956), A Summer Place (1959), Esther and the King (1960) and The 300 Spartans (1962).

On this day in 1960 Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird was published that would lead to my second favorite film of all time. I searched for my photo of me within 6 feet of Harper but I couldn't find it. But what a book and what a movie!

The new movie has created quite a stir. Besides HBO rebroadcasting "Elvis - The Searcher", you can see Rock on Film every Monday one TCM this month.