A Classic Summer Tradition

In honor of Turner Classic Movie's Summer Under the Stars, we thought we'd do a fun post for you on the history of the drive-in cinema!

Once popular enough that there were around 4,000 drive-in's throughout the United States, there are only around 300 left.
So what's the story?

When did they start?
In 1932, when a man by the name of Richard Hollingshead, Jr. created one in his very own backyard for experimental purposes. Hollingshead created a large screen, secured it to trees with the use of nails, mounted a projector on his own vehicle, and then used a radio behind the screen, which he frequently adjusted in order to observe different sound levels with his car. He also experimented and came up with the idea of mounting cars at different levels so that every car could get a complete view of the screen. His work for his "drive-in" movie theater was patented in 1933.

Where to next?
Well, after conducting all of his experiments, Hollingshead opened an official drive-in theater to the public in Pennsauken, New Jersey. People were curious about this new cinematic experience, to begin with, but Hollingshead certainly drew in a crowd by appealing to families with his slogan, "The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are!" If you look at Hollingshead's personal business records, his drive-in may not have seemed like that big of a hit, only staying open for about three years, but the idea took off and spread like wildfire throughout other states. It is really because of these 14 states' willingness to run with the idea that the fully functioning drive-in was developed. There were still kinks that had to be worked out with the positioning of the screen, and especially with sound issues, but all of the other drive-ins tampered with these things for the next few years, and eventually came up with solutions.

Drive-in theaters entered their glory days in the 1950s and 60s. They gained some negative connotations due to their extra privacy, making them the perfect date spots and hot spots for teenagers with nothing to do. Despite the bad publicity, however, these "passion pits" still remained popular even throughout the 1970s.

So what went wrong?
Realty. Land prices sky-rocketed, and many of the drive-in theater owners couldn't justify paying for the upkeep of these huge pieces of land that they only actually operated for about 3 to 4 months out of the year. It just became too expensive.
Also, less income was drawn from it as more inventions like color television, extended cable, and VCRs were made available to the public. Who wants to pay to watch a movie in their car when they could be watching movies or recorded tv from the comfort of their own living room?

The drive-ins put up a good fight, though. As the ones that remained open began to notice a decline in customers, they did their best to draw them in--to really make the trip/visit worth their while with special dining services, petting zoos, opening musical acts, etc. Indeed, one of the largest of these theaters ever built was in Long Island, NY, and it featured an actual restaurant, trolley rides, a playground, an extra indoor screen for those who preferred air conditioning, and parking for just shy of 3,000 cars.

What happened to them?
Slowly but surely the theaters went out of business, and as they did so, various different things happened. Especially with the bigger pieces of property, owners sliced of chunks of their land and sold them to seperate buyers, hoping to get more money. The drive-in locations themselves were usually sold to other businesses, some being torn down to make way for expanding business districts, churches, etc. There were quite a few that were not entirely shut down, but combined with other businesses--usually flea markets. And so the drive-in became a thing of the past...or so it seemed.

What about drive-ins today?
Today, there are not nearly as many drive-in theaters as there used to be, but there has been a growth in popularity once more. Efforts have been made, usually by independent business owners, to reconstruct more of the theaters and reopen them to the public. There are many towns that have established temporary drive-ins, often setting a time, date, and meeting place (such as abandoned parking lots or warehouses) beforehand, and using the location as a one-night fling.
Though not as popular as they ever were before, one thing is certain--drive-in theaters will always remain a unique part of cinematic history for America.

That's it for now, folks!

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Summer Under the Stars

 Happy 1st of August!


If you're a veteran of the classic film world then you already know that August is an exciting month!
If you are new then allow me to fill you in--every year during the month of August, Turner Classic Movies brings you Summer Under the Stars.Instead of focusing on one single Star of the Month, they bring you 31 stars--one full day, every day, for the month of August that focuses on a different classic film star.


Now, last year, we at Think Classic picked our favorite star out of TCM's Summer Under the Stars lineup, and focused on them for Star of the Month (you can see that post on Claudette Colbert here: http://classicvintagelove.blogspot.com/2011/08/if-i-couldnt-laughid-rather-die.html).
This year, however, we're going to switch it up a bit.
We have picked out four stars we love from the Summer Under the Stars lineup--two female, and two male (which was SUPER hard, by the way!) and we are going to do a post on each the day before their day on TCM. We won't tell you ahead of time who they are, though. We don't want to ruin the surprise!


But we hope you're ready for a great Summer Under the Stars, with Turner Classic Movies and Think Classic!
Here is a complete list of the TCM Summer Under the Stars lineup:
August 1 (today): John Wayne
August 2: Myrna Loy
August 3: Johnny Weissmuller
August 4: Marilyn Monroe
August 5: Claude Rains
August 6: Van Heflin
August 7: Sidney Poitier
August 8: Rita Hayworth
August 9: Toshiro Mifune
August 10: Lionel Barrymore
August 11: James Mason
August 12: Ginger Rogers
August 13: Deborah Kerr
August 14: James Cagney
August 15: Lillian Gish
August 16: Elvis Presley
August 17: Katharine Hepburn
August 18: Freddie Bartholomew
August 19: Eva Marie Saint
August 20: Anthony Quinn
August 21: Kay Francis
August 22: Jack Lemmon
August 23: Gene Kelly
August 24: Irene Dunne
August 25: Tyrone Power
August 26: Gary Cooper
August 27: Jeanette MacDonald
August 28: Ava Gardner
August 29: Ingrid Bergman
August 30: Warren William
August 31: James Caan


Guess that's about it!Stay tuned for more Summer Under the Stars.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Like our Official Facebook Page.
Also, brand new to Think Classic, is a Youtube page run by founder Anna!
Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8TwNU7fIhs&feature=youtu.be

Fall of '48 promo

Like the new look?!

Yes, you're in the right place!As long as you're looking for Think Classic, that is. If not, then I really can't help you.

I know that it is still July, which means it is obviously still summertime, but I've something very new and exciting coming up in the next month and a half, so consider this the official teaser or promo for it.

What is this new and exciting thing, you ask?

Well, in case you missed it at the top of the page:

That's right! Fall of '48. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Starting September 1st, 2012 Think Classic is going to take you back in time, to the Fall of 1948. We're going to have special posts about what you would've been seeing in theaters, what books you'd be buying or checking out from the library, and even what clothes you would be wearing during the fall of 1948. Plus we are going to incorporate the TCM Stars of the Month for September, October, and November. We'll have the usual write-ups on them, but we'll also be checking out what they would have been doing and working on in 1948.

We have a bunch of stuff lined up for you, and are super excited to share it all. Like I said, posts for Fall of '48 will begin on September 1st, and end on November 30th.

So STAY TUNED for a bunch of movies, books, stars, and fashion from Fall of '48!

Have ideas, suggestions, questions or comments?

Drop a line in the comment box below!

OR

Tell us what you think at the official Think Classic Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Think-Classic/143647305750809

AND

Be sure to follow us on Twitter for regular updates and ideas: https://twitter.com/Think_Classic

"I can't think of anything more exciting than trying to be an actor."

STAR OF THE MONTH

Leslie Howard

Born April 3, 1893

Died June 1, 1943

Leslie Howard Steiner was born in Forest Hill, London, England in April of 1893. He was one of four children born to Lilian and Ferdinand, members of the upper class. Leslie was well educated, but did not attend University. During WWI, Howard enlisted and served in the British Army for a short period. His acting career began after his involvement in the war, when he took to the stage in 1917. He was moderately successful at the London theater, but his launch to success didn't come about until he came to America in the 1920s. In 1929, he found himself as the lead character in the play Berkeley Square, which he would go on to play film adaptation in 1933--the beginning of his film career.

For his film roles, Howard most often portrayed the traditional old fashioned Englishman. Occasionally, with much success, he showed a different side of himself in playing characters such as Sir Percy Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), or Professor Henry Higgins in Pygmalion (1938). As time went on, Howard also played his hand with romantic film roles, showing he could be successful in just about any shade of character with films like Romeo and Juliet (1936), It's Love I'm After (1937), and Intermezzo (1939).

Needless to say, Howard built an immensely successful career for himself in the film industry. He starred in over 40 feature films, 11 of which he produced, 4 of which he directed, and 2 of which earned him nominations for Academy Awards for Best Actor.

He was also just as popular off-screen as he was on. He was reportedly very personable and witty, and built and maintained lifelong friendships with the likes of Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, and most espeicially the acting duo Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. It was, in fact, Howard who was responsible for launching Bogart's career, when he insisted on Bogart playing the gangster "Duke" in what turned out to be his breakout film, The Petrified Forest (1936). Later on, when Bogart married actress Lauren Bacall, the two remained such good friends that Bogart and Bacall named their daughter after Howard--Leslie Howard Bogart.

Howard himself, somewhat of a womanizer, eventually settled down and married a woman named Ruth Martin in 1916. Together they had two children, a son Ronald, who also became an actor, and a daughter Leslie.

Howard was killed in 1943. When travelling from Lisbon, Portugal to Bristol, England, flying over the Bay of Biscay, a German maritime fighter aircraft shot down the plane, killing 17 people, Howard among them. He was 50 years old.

MOVIE OF THE MONTH

Intermezzo: A Love Story

1939

Starring Leslie Howard, Ingrid Bergman, and Edna Best

Holger Brandt (Howard) is a world famous violinist. As a working musician, he spends much of his time on tour, mostly of various European countries, leaving his wife Margit (Best) and two children Eric and Ann Marie back home. When he comes home after one of his tours, he discovers that his wife has hired a piano teacher for their daughter. When he meets the teacher, by the name of Anita Hoffman (Bergman), he has her play for him. He sees that she is extremely talented, and offers her the opportunity to tour with him as an accompaniment. Though hesitant at first, Anita agrees. When the next tour begins and they are away from home, Holger and Anita fall for eachother and begin an affair. When Holger's wife, Margit, discovers what is going on she is heartbroken, and asks Holger for a divorce. Following the divorce, Holger takes Anita and they move to Italy, the land of love, to begin a new life together. Even though they should be happy, they are not. Anita sees that Holger desparately misses his children Ann Marie and Eric. The more she thinks about what has happened, the more guilty she feels about breaking up their beautiful family. Even though she still has feelings for Holger, Anita knows he needs to go back to his family before it is too late, so she leaves him in order to pursue a career of her own.

Holger is suprised and upset at first when Anita leaves him. Once he has time to think about things, however, he hesitantly but excitedly makes his way back home to his family, praying they will forgive him. He decides to surprise his daughter, Ann Marie, first. So, he goes to ger school. When she sees him, overjoyed, she runs across the street to greet him, but before she makes it all the way to him, she is hit by a car. Horrified, Holger immediately takes his injured daughter home and calls a doctor. Once the doctor is there, the rest of the family just has to wait. While waiting, Holger has the chance to speak to his son, Eric, who has been feeling angry that his father walked out on the family. To everyone's huge relief, the doctor emerges and tells the waiting family that Ann Marie is going to survive. Reunited in light of a near-tragedy, Holger gets his family back, and the film ends with Margit welcoming him back.

Intermezzo: A Love Story is more of a dramatic film, but it is beautifully done. It was originally made in Sweden, with Ingrid Bergman playing the role of Anita. A Hollywood executive got his hands on the foreign film, fell in love with Bergman, and personally asked her to come to the United States, sign with his company, and do a remake of the film for American audiences. She accepted, Leslie Howard was chosen for the role of Holger, and filming began.

You can see the original trailer for the movie here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL-p08MafqE

Also, if you will remember, I fairly recently did a post on Leslie Howard's 1934 film The Scarlet Pimpernel, so here is the link to that post, if you are interested: http://www.classicvintagelove.blogspot.com/2012/04/they-seek-him-here-they-seek-him-there.html

"The truth is that, to enjoy acting, one must be an exhibitionist at heart. One must revel in those exposures of the emotions which would be agonizing to a shy or reserved person. All the great actors have been and are exhibitionists. It is easy and pleasureable for them to shout, to weep, to tear their hair, to laugh, to make love. They enjoy it and they make their audience enjoy it. They are the ideal actors. As a boy, the possibility of being an actor never occurred to me. Nor could it have occurred to anybody who knew the shy and inarticulate youth that I was. I wanted to write. I felt I could express myself on paper; alone in a room, I felt articulate and creative. But I was also lazy--a thing a writer never dares to be. Application is, I am convinced, the first rule for authors. Then, mysteriously, a part in a play offered itself--at a time when to earn a living was a prime motive of existance. And then another part in another play. And gradually the miracle took place. The metamorphosis of a nervous, inhibited, agoraphobic individual who had other ambitions altogether into a fairly successful actor."

-Leslie Howard

"Under the clock at the Astor at seven."

The Clock

1945

Starring Judy Garland and Robert Walker

The wartime romance The Clock is a story about a whirlwind romance between Corporal Joe Allen (Walker) and a lovely woman named Alice Mayberry (Garland). The two meet by chance on a busy day in New York City. Joe is a soldier in the United States Army, and he finds himself on a 48-hour leave in a city where he has never been before, and he doesn't know a soul. He is in Penn Station when Alice trips over his duffel bag and breaks the high heel on one of her shoes. Feeling as though he must make amends for his carelessness, Joe offers to fix her shoe for her, which he does. While her shoe is being worked on, Alice talks with Joe and learns that he is on leave in the city and he doesn't know where to go. She still has to catch the bus back to her apartment, so she says he can come along and she'll point out some of the city's different landmarks and other places he might be interested in. It soon turns into a small adventure, when they make stops to walk through Central Park, and to spend time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They have a wonderful time together, and Joe realizes he would like to spend more time with Alice. He asks her out for the evening, which she refuses at first, but then she finally gives in and says that she will meet him under the clock at the Astor Hotel at 7 pm.

Everyone thinks Alice is crazy for agreeing to go on a date with a strange soldier that she barely knows, and she contemplates not going. She just can't stand him up, though, so she gets ready and goes to meet him. Joe buys her flowers for her hair, and takes her out to dinner. They miss their bus afterwards, but end up accepting a ride from a kind, old milkman, in exchange for helping him deliver the last of his early morning milk. The milk truck gets a flat tire halfway through the route, so they pull up to a late-night diner to use a pay phone and call for assistance. While they're there, the milkman gets hit on the head by a drunk. Alice and Joe help him back out to the truck where they tell him to rest and take it easy for a bit. He ends up falling asleep, so Joe and Alice take it upon themselves to deliver the last of the milk. When he wakes up, in return for their kindness, he asks them to come home with him and have breakfast with him and his wife. While eating breakfast, the milkman and his wife talk about how they fell in love so quickly and have been happily married ever since. Joe and Alice think about everything they say, and about how they feel towards one another, and then they realize that they want to get married--but they only have 24 hours to do it before Joe's leave is up.

They go on a mad dash all over New York City to fulfil all the requirements of the law in order to be legally married. For a time they are afraid that it won't be able to happen until Joe comes back, but with help from friends and managing to pull a few strings here and there, they finally get married. Joe returns to war the next day. Alice accompanies him to the train station and they say goodbye. The movie ends with Alice walking back through the station, going home to happily wait for her husband.

When it was first released, The Clock was not that warmly received for a few reasons. One reason was because, at the time, WWII had just ended and American audiences did not want to see another wartime romance--there had been so many, and they were craving something different. Probably it's biggest fault, though, was that it starred America's singing sweetheart, Judy Garland, but she didn't sing a single tune in this particular feature film. This was intentionally done. Garland was coming out of her years as a child actress, and she really wanted to do a film that would make her look like the adult she was. Her future husband Vincente Minnelli directed the film and, in my opinion, she never looked more lovely on the big screen.

Don't forget to follow @Think_Classic on Twitter for regular updates.

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And keep an eye out for a post on TCM Star of the Month, Joel McCrae!

"They seek him here, they seek him there..."

The Scarlet Pimpernel

1905 novel

by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

Although written at the beginning of the 20th century, the story of The Scarlet Pimpernel was inspired by events that took place over 100 years before.  It is set in both France and England during the French Revolution.  An Englishman with a well-concealed identity, who is referred to as the Scarlet Pimpernel, along with his band of 19 followers, goes on daring missions into the heart of France to save French aristocrats from death by the guillotine. They are then brought to England, where they can safely start a new life.

But who is this man? Who is the Scarlet Pimpernel?

Nobody knows--not even the people who are saved with his help.

Yet so many are seeking him--particularly the leaders of the new French republic. In their minds, he is keeping wicked people from dying deaths that they deserve. So an ambassador is sent to England by the name of Chauvelin, for the sole purpose of discovering the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel so that they can watch his movements and have him arrested and executed the next time he is on French soil. Chauvelin does as much research as he can before heading over to England, concluding that whoever the Scarlet Pimpernel is, he is a part of the highest social circle in England.

Also within that social circle are Sir Percy Blakeney and his wife, Lady Marguerite Blakeney--a newly married young couple. Sir Percy is a fool who can barely bring himself to think of anything besides fashion and money, yet he is known to be clever and witty at times and comes from very good money. Lady Marguerite is actually a Frenchwoman by birth, who somehow managed to get swept off her feet by Sir Percy and now unhappily resides with him in England. To make up for her husbands foolish ways, Lady Blakeney is breathtakingly beautiful, highly intelligent, cunning and witty. She is regarded as one of the most important women in Europe, and together she and her husband easily glide within the social circle with people like the Prince of Wales.

Chauvelin actually knew Lady Blakeney before she was married, while she was still living in France. He knew her family and is also acquainted with her brother, Armand. While trying to discover who the Scarlet Pimpernel is, he discovers that Armand is one of his 19 followers. He has him arrested and decides to blackmail Lady Blakeney into helping him figure out who it is within her social circle that moonlights as The Scarlet Pimpernel. He promises her that if she does this, he will set her brother free.

Lady Blakeney doesn't know what to do or where to begin. Her dearest brother, her only living blood relative is in danger but if she can discover the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel, he can return safely to England. But even if she did discover who the Scarlet Pimpernel was, could she really condemn a man who is known to be so brave by his adventures and efforts to save innocent lives?

The Scarlet Pimpernel

1934

Starring Merle Oberon, Raymond Massey, and Leslie Howard

Baroness Orczy's novel The Scarlet Pimpernel has been adapted for the stage and the screen many times before. However, I would say that the best version that I know of and have seen myself would be the 1934 film, which stars Merle Oberon as the beautiful, troubled young Lady Blakeney; Leslie Howard as her dumb husband, Sir Percy; and Raymond Massey as the French ambassador, Chauvelin.

This film adaptation captures all of the tiny details found in the original tale of The Scarlet Pimpernel. It is very well done and brings the adventures of the brave Englishman to life.

And, for your enjoyment, I have found the 1934 version of The Scarlet Pimpernel in it's entirety as one whole video, and you can watch it from beginning to end here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6SnYSLFJiY

"They seek him here, they seek him there,

 Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.

 Is he in heaven? Is he in hell?

 That demmed, elusive Pimpernel."

 -Sir Percy Blakeney

"Suzanne: 'The Scarlet Pimpernel. What a droll name. What does it mean?'

 Sir Andrew: 'It is humble, wayside flower, mademoiselle. And it hides the identity of the best and  bravest man in all the world.'"

"Good books,like friends,are few and chosen; the more select,the more enjoyable."-Louisa May Alcott

Little Women

1868-69 novel

by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women is essentially a story about family.  The story follows the lives of the March sisters--Margaret "Meg," Josephine "Jo," Elizabeth "Beth," and Amy.  Each of them have their own distinct personalities, and occasionally those personalities clash, but time and again, with the help of their loving Father and Marmee, they learn important life lessons: the importance of love and family, forgiveness, having faith in their creator, accepting loss, etc. The story begins when Meg, the oldest of the sisters, is only sixteen, and it follows them, their adventures and life lessons over several years time. It doesn't just look at hard, trying or profound times, either. There are passages that make the reader laugh, and smile.

Louisa May Alcott

The story is written by Louisa May Alcott, and it has strong ties to her real life. The characters of the March family are all based on her real parents, her sisters and herself (as portrayed by Jo), and although the names were changed for most of them, nothing was changed about the character of her beloved sister, Beth--not even her name.  Many of the scenarios that are presented to the reader are actual memories belonging to Alcott of her family.  The story is even set in and around Alcott's childhood home, which is also where she wrote it.  Perhaps because of the deeply personal ties to the story, it is written in a way that makes the reader feel like they know the characters, and take a personal interest in what happens to them as the story goes on.

Alcott originally only wrote the first half of the novel (which is split into two parts) and had it published in 1868. She did not believe that it would be well received, or that people would be interested in it. Therefore, she only published to first part to begin with. To test the waters, if you will.  She was surprised at the warm reception, and agreed to finish the story, with the second half being published in 1869.

I honestly cannot even begin to express how much I love this story. The plot sounds so simple, almost like there is nothing to it, and maybe that's true, but it is so fascinating and fun. It's merely a coming of age story--a story about a family that will make you laugh, smile, cry, and keep turning the pages to figure out what happens to the girls and their loved ones.  I know so many people who have read this story, and I've found that even though the reader always loves the entire March family, they always have that one March sister which is their favorite. I know people whose favorite is Amy, or maybe Meg, or of course, free-spirited Jo. My own personal favorite is Beth. But no matter which sister wins your heart, everybody I know who has read the book loves it, and learns and grows along with the March family as they read.

Beth March

Of course, when there is a book beloved by so many, film adaptations are bound to follow.

There are several classic versions that have been brought to the public over the years:

A 1933 version starring Katharine Hepburn as Jo, Frances Dee as Meg, Jean Parker as Beth, and Joan Bennett as Amy.

A 1949 version starring June Allyson as Jo, Janet Leigh as Meg, Margaret O'Brien as Beth, and Elizabeth Taylor as Amy.

A 1978 version starring Susan Dey as Jo, Meredith Baxter Birney as Meg, Eve Plumb as Beth, and Ann Dusenberry as Amy.

If I were to choose which of the above mentioned classic versions of the movie as my favorite, I would have to say, after seeing all of them, the 1949 version, which I was raised on. We had it as a VHS tape when I was a kid and I watched it so many times I'm surprised it still works.

However, if I had to choose my absolute favorite version of the movie from all time, even though it might not qualify as a classic, it would have to be....

Little Women

1994

Starring Winona Ryder, Trini Alvarado, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, Samantha Mathis, Christian Bale, and Susan Sarandon

This version is by far the best I have ever seen. There is just something about it that really encompasses the true feeling of family and love that you get when you read the book.

It's phenomenal, with Winona Ryder as spirited Jo, Trini Alvarado as pretty Meg, Claire Danes in her first film role as timid Beth, and artistic Amy portrayed both by Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis as she ages.

Susan Sarandon really steps into the role of Marmee, in all her wisdom, and Christian Bale is Theodore "Teddy"/"Laurie" Laurence, the boy from next door.

The book presents such a beautiful story, written from the heart of Louisa May Alcott, and this movie is the only one that truly captures that on the screen, in my opinion.

Here is the trailer for the movie:

"There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind."

"I may be strong-minded, but no one can say I'm out of my sphere now, for woman's special mission is supposed to be drying tears and bearing burdens."

-Jo March

"Give them all my dear love and a kiss.  Tell them I think of them by day, pray for them by night, and find my best comfort in their affection at all times.  A year seems very long to wait before I see them, but remind them that while we wait we may all work, so that these hard days need not be wasted.  I know they will remember all I said to them, that they will be loving children to you, will do their duty faithfully, fight their bosom enemies bravely, and conquer themselves so beautifully that when I come back to them I may be fonder and prouder than ever of my little women."

-A letter from Mr. March to Marmee