Good 50's Films: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

1953 Musical Comedy
From 20th Century Fox
Directed by Howard Hawks

Starring
Jane Russell
Marilyn Monroe
Charles Coburn
Elliot Reid
Tommy Noonan
George Winslow
Taylor Holmes
Norma Varden

REVIEW: Beautiful Boy

Directed by Felix Van Groeningen
2018 Drama
2 hours
From Amazon Studios

Starring
Steve Carell
Timothée Chalamet
Maura Tierney
Kaitlyn Dever
Amy Ryan
Timothy Hutton

Eva Marie Saint

Although her resumé might suggest otherwise, she has claimed she was never a workaholic and that she had interests far more important away from the movie business.  To her immense credit, one of those interests was her family which took second to nothing.  She clung tightly to her 65-year marriage and a son and daughter who meant everything to her.  She turned down roles that would have separated her from them and yet she made her mark in a town with far more ambitious people.

REVIEW: Halloween

Directed by David Gordon Greene
2018 Horror Thriller
1 hour 46 minutes
From Universal

Starring
Jamie Lee Curtis
Judy Greer
Andi Matichak
Will Patton
James Jude Courtney
Nick Castle
Haluk Bilginer
Jefferson Hall
Rhian Rees
Toby Huss

Burl Ives

He was larger than life... in more ways than one.  While he was a character actor in the movies, that description doesn't quite fit his enormous talent.  Frankly, he was a character long before he entered films.  He was an actor not only in films but also television, radio and the stage.  When Burl Ives spoke, you listened.  But he also sang and was considered a folk singer, troubadour or balladeer... you pick.  Perhaps no one I have written about in these pages has had a more colorful life. 

REVIEW: The Old Man and the Gun

Directed by David Lowery
2018 Crime Caper Comedy
1 hour 33 minutes
From Fox Searchlight

Starring
Robert Redford
Casey Affleck
Sissy Spacek
Tika Sumpter
Danny Glover
Tom Waits
Keith Carradine

REVIEW: First Man

Directed by Damien Chazelle
2018 Historical Biography
2 hours 21 minutes
From Universal

Starring
Ryan Gosling
Claire Foy
Jason Clarke
Kyle Chandler
Corey Stoll
Pablo Schreiber
Lukas Haas
Patrick Fugit

Good 50's Films: All I Desire

1953 Drama
From Universal-International
Directed by Douglas Sirk

Starring
Barbara Stanwyck
Richard Carlson
Lyle Bettger
Marcia Henderson
Lori Nelson
Maureen O'Sullivan
Billy Gray
Richard Long
Lotte Stein

REVIEW: Colette

Directed by Wash Westmoreland
2018 Historical Biography
1 hour 51 minutes
From Bleecker Street Media

Starring
Keira Knightley
Dominic West
Denise Gough
Rebecca Root
Eleanor Tomlinson
Fiona Shaw
Ayisha Hart
Robert Pugh

REVIEW: A Star Is Born

Directed by Bradley Cooper
2018 Musical Romance Drama
2 hours 15 minutes
From Warner Bros

Starring
Lady Gaga
Bradley Cooper
Sam Elliott
Andrew Dice Clay
Rafi Gavron
Anthony Ramos
Dave Chapelle

June Haver

Last month a movie fan and reader of this blog requested a posting on actress-singer-dancer June Haver.  I perhaps should have found a way to include her in our salute to the 1940's (her most prominent movie decade) but on the other hand she did make four films in the 1950's (the decade we're currently featuring) so let's have a go at it.