As you'll remember, last month Think Classic had a photo contest, and the winner was Larae Thompson (@thegrouchisin). She submitted her black and white photo on the Think Classic Facebook page (which there is a link to at the bottom of this post).
So, Larae gets a write-up about herself, and who she would pick for Star of the Month, and which movie of theirs she would pick for Movie of the Month.
This is pretty exciting for me, because Larae was one of the fist fans of Think Classic, and she's been following my work since I started.When I asked her what she'd like to have said about her, she very modestly said that I didn't need to say anything, at first. She is a great lover of classic movies, and tends to prefer comedies to other genres.She's also a fan of actors Gregory Peck, Van Johnson, and Jimmy Stewart, and a few of her favorite movies are In the Good Old Summertime (1949), The Philadelphia Story (1940), and The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942). When asked why she loves classic films so much, she replied:
"I like them because they rely on human experiences and emotions to entertain instead of shallow plots and fancy visual effects which visually entertain, but don't mentally stimulate."
And with that being said, here are her picks for Star and Movie of the Month:
STAR OF THE MONTH
Clint Eastwood
Born May 31, 1930
Clinton Eastwood, Jr. was born in the summer of 1930 in central California. Growing up, he was much more interested in athletics than he was in drama. His acting career didn't officially take off until the 1950s, and even then, there were many who wouldn't take him seriously. He was criticised for his stiff demeanor and the way he would pronounce his lines-almost hissing them through his teeth. He earned a contract with Universal Studios, but only had smaller roles off and on. Universal dropped him in 1955, which led him to his first big film role, The First Traveling Saleslady (1956).
Eastwood's career officially launched in the 1960s with films like A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966). These western films which formed a trilogy also defined the majority of roles that Eastwood would play throughout the majority of his career. He had a very hard time winning the approval of American film critics. One of his first most successful productions was Dirty Harry (1971).
By the early 1970s, Eastwood was already trying his hand at directing. He then took on producing in the early 1980s, and even got involved with music with many of his films.
Eastwood has had a phenomenal career that has been full of an outstanding number of successful productions, which he has recieved many awards for. He has been a part of over 50 major motion picture productions, and is still active at the age of 81.
MOVIE OF THE MONTH
For a Few Dollars More
1965
Starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Gian Maria Volonte
Colonel Douglas Mortimer (Van Cleef) and the Man with No Name, although sometiems referred to as Manco (Eastwood), are two bounty hunters. They usually work independently but team up to hunt down a fugitive by the name of El Indio (Volonte), one of the most violent and ruthless in the western territories. Mortimer persuades Manco to find his way into the heart of Indio's gang, which he does.
Indio has been planning to rob a bank and manages to do so while Manco is still with his gang. After the robbery, he leads his followers to a tiny town on the border, where Manco is able to reunite with Mortimer, who he hasn't had contact with. While they're there, one of the members of Indio's gang recognizes Mortimer, who he has had a previous encounter with. He calls out Mortimer, and the two have a showdown--Mortimer survives. Mortimer then manages to gain Indio's trust by cracking open a safe. Indio keeps the money safely locked away, but Manco and Mortimer are planning to steal it back. When members of Indio's gang catch them trying to take back the money, Mortimer and Manco are beaten and bound. Indio instructs his right hand man to set them free, and then sends the rest of his gang running after them, saying that they "got away." His plan is that all of them will die, leaving himself and his right hand man free to take the money and run.
One of Indio's gang members suspects that he is up to something, and he kills Indio's right hand man. He plans to kill Indio, too, but first discovers that Mortimer has moved the money from it's hiding place. He informs Indio of this, and Indio convinces him to help him hunt down Manco and Mortimer. The next day, there is a showdown, and Mortimer and Manco shoot down the remaining gang members, including Indio's new right hand man. Mortimer has a showdown with Indio, during which it is revealed that Mortimer has a personal vendetta against Indio because he killed his sister. Mortimer kills Indio. The bounty hunters have fulfilled their mission, but having successfully gotten his revenge, Mortimer declines his share, leaving Manco to take the bodies of the outlaws, and the money, although it doesn't make it clear whether or not he intends to return it.
That's all for now!
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