Monkey Business

No, I'm not talking about the Marx Brothers film, but the one starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers and..oh...that newcomer, what's her name? Oh yes- Marilyn Monroe!

Actually, producers and directors knew she was a hot property and her name was just starting to get a buzz when they put her in this movie, priming her for stardom. But the true stars in every sense of the word in this film are Cary and Ginger.

I won't go into an entire review of this wonderful movie, but will give a very short synopsis:

Cary plays an absent-minded professor and Ginger, his very understanding wife. He works in a lab where chimps are kept (don't worry, they are all treated well) as he and his lab assistant work in vain to create an illusive formula to reverse aging. One of the chimps escapes his cage and begins doing a little experimenting of his own at the chemistry table and...well, you get the picture. Unbeknownst to Cary and crew, the formula is created!

Grant and Rogers, as a happily married couple, have a very incredible chemistry in this film...and for the time period, there are many hidden meanings and I suppose, sexual inuendos. But nothing overt...and it's actually a refreshing pleasure to see that the married characters still have "that honeymoon feeling."

I can't say enough about this movie...I'm leaving out many pertitent details due to time contraints, but this 1952 Howard Hawks film is one of my all-time favorites.
There are only a handful of classic comedies that I can see over and over and over... and still laugh out loud each and every time. This is definately one of them!

All-time favorite old movies

As most of my friends and family know, I have always been an old movie buff. From the time I was a child, my parents and I would watch them together- each of them interacting with me about them, giving me tidbits of information. My mom, especially, was an encyclopedia of knowledge when it came to even the remotest character actors of the 30's and 40's.

But if I hadn't had the inbred "classic movie" gene inside me, I might have yawned at all their info. But I ate it all up...there was something special about those old movies- there still is.

Here are just 25 of my personal favorites in no particualr order...

1) "The Sound of Music"- Julie Andrews Everyone loves this movie, young and old, and I never tire of it

2) "It's a Wonderful Life" - James Stewart, Donna Reed I loved this movie before it became a household name...it has always touched a part of me deep inside.

3)"You can't take it with you"- James Stewart, Jean Author Wonderfully entertaining, funny, and with some great lessons to be learned.

4) "Monkey Business" - Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe.... I've seen this a zillion times and still don't grow tired of it- Cary Grant and Ginger doing screwball comedy at it's best

5) "Friendly Pursuasion"- Gary Cooper, Dorothy Maguire Beautiful movie based on the book about a Quaker family, with wonderful acting and direction and sweet humor.

6) "Christmas in Connecticut"- Barbara Stanwick, Dennis Morgan Love, love it...have to see it every Christmas season...very charming, funny and romantic

7) "Mr. Blandings builds his Dream House"- Cary Grant, Myrna Loy This one has the smart writing of a New York play, very quick-witted, and yet still has a lot of down to earth, everyday charm as a typical upper-class family attempts to buy - then build- a house.

8) "In the Good Ole Summertime"- Judy Garland, Van Johnson Definately one of my all-time favorites...the music and charm is superb.

9) "The Wizard of Oz"- Judy Garland (plus huge cast) (Of course!)

10) "Gone With the Wind"- Vivian Leah, Clark Gable (Again...of course!)

11) "Singing in the Rain"- Gene Kelly, Donald O'Conner, Debbie Reynolds A halarious classic musical that still hold up

12) "Anchors Aweigh"- Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra Big fan of Gene Kelly's and this one is of my favorites.

13) "The Parent Trap"- Hailey Mills, Maureen O'Hara I don't think I'm alone on this one...every 12 yr. old who first watched this movie has counted it a favorite for life.

14) "The Nutty Professer"- Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens This has to be my all-time favorite Jerry movie since I was a kid!

15) "The Quiet Man"- John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara We HAVE to watch this every St. Paddy's Day, right after the cornbeef and cabbage- great direction by John Ford.

16) "Easy to Love"- Esther Williams, Van Johnson I'm a sucker for these MGM techicolor extravaganzas and love watching the swimming sequences. This one is a favorite, with the chemistry between she and Van kind of sizzling

17) "It Happened One Night"- Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert Another Frank Capra movie- a classic made in the mid-30's that still holds up

18) "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"- James Stewart, Jean Author Yet another Capra- a must-see for everyone at least once

19) "Girl Crazy"- Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney I could list most of the "Mickey and Judy" flicks, but this one is one of my favs.

20) "Flower Drum Song"- Miyoshi Umeki, Nancy Kwan A lesser-known but wonderfully entertaining Rogers and Hammerstein movie-charming with great music- ofcourse, it's R.&H!

21) "South Pacific"- Mitzi Gaynor Another great Rogers and Hammerstein

22) "The Long, long, Trailer"- Lucille Ball, Desi Arnez A really cute movie that I love seeing over and over again

23) "Heidi"- Shirley Temple I am a Shirley fan and love most of her movies, but this is my favorite

24) "Mary Poppins"- Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke The first movie I saw at a theater as a preschooler and still love it just as much

25) "Since You Went Away"- Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Shirley Temple- An emotional saga of a mother and two daughters on the homefront during WW11

Of course, as soon as I log off, I'll remember some more that I forgot to include! But for now, I'd better stop.

posted by Tammy @ 9:44 PM