"I've always admitted that I'm ruled by my passions."-Elizabeth Taylor

Just short of one year ago, the world lost yet another star and classic beauty--one of the most beautiful women on earth.

She was talented, beautiful, and passionate.  And three days ago, February 27th, would have been her 80th birthday.  So, this post is in honor of her.

Happy Birthday, Ms Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor

Born February 27, 1932

Died March 23, 2011

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was actually born in London, England on the 27th of February in 1932.  However, her parents were American citizens, so she had a life long dual citizenship to both countries.  There was later a time in her life when she wished to become solely a citizen of the United Kingdom, but could not go through with it, because she would not vow to renounce all allegiance to the United States.

The Taylor family already had connections with the film industry, with Taylor's mother being a retired actress, herself.  In 1939, when Taylor was just 7 years old, her family returned to the United States.  They settled in Los Angeles, California, further exposing their young daughter to the life of the Hollywood elite.  Taylor was beautiful, even as a child, and child actors were becoming more common at that time.  It didn't take long until multiple Hollywood film studios were begging for her to sign a contract with them.  The young Elizabeth was given her first contract with Universal Pictures.

She made one film for Universal before they fired her for undisclosed reasons.  It is widely speculated that they didn't like her looks as a child actress, believing she looked "too old" compared to young girls like Shirley Temple.  She didn't possess the "cute" look--she had a more angular face, with deep blue eyes that sometimes reportedly looked purple, and had double eyelashes, due to a genetic mutation.

Later on, Taylor's father did some military work with a producer from MGM.  He learned that they were looking for an actress for a new Lassie film, in the making.Taylor was given the part in the film, and hooked a long-term contract with the studio.She was a famous child star, making around 9 films with MGM as a child star.

Taylor had a seemingly effortless transition into adult roles--probably because, yet again, she always looked mature for her age.Just as when she was considered a child actress, the adult Elizabeth Taylor was a success in her bigger film roles, some of the more noteable ones being Father of the Bride (1950), A Place in the Sun (1951), Ivanhoe (1952), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), The Taming of the Shrew (1967), and many more.

She remained active in her film career until 2003.  Even then, she did not fade out of the picture.  Taylor was an extremely active humanitarian, providing funding and charities and public awareness for HIV/AIDS, along with other causes.

Taylor remained fairly active, and didn't tend to shy away from the public eye for the remainder of her life.  She died on March 23, 2011, and the world lost a classic beauty, a wife, a mother, a humanitarian, and a true star.

Now, I have chosen a movie of Elizabeth Taylor's that I would recommend watching.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

1958

Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, and Burl Ives

An adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play by the same name, the story centers around a very dramatic family celebration.  Maggie "The Cat" Pollitt (Taylor) and her estranged husband, Brick (Newman), are stuck in Mississippi with his family, in order to celebrate his father, "Big Daddy" Pollitt's (Ives) birthday.

Brick is depressed, and refuses to spend any time with his family (including his wife), preferring to drink by himself all day.  The rest of the family notices that Maggie and Brick don't seem to be getting along, and the taunting seems endless to Maggie.

Big Daddy has been ill for a while, and just before his birthday, he and his wife fly to see a doctor to find out if he is dying of cancer.  They return in time for celebrations, along with the news that he is not dying.  However, since the possibility of his death was put into everyone's minds, Brick's brother and sister-in-law decide to have a disturbing competition, wanting to find out who Big Daddy will leave all his money and land to when he dies.

In the meantime, Big Daddy has also noticed that things aren't right with Brick and Maggie, which upsets him because that is who he would prefer to leave his belongings to, if he had to choose.  He forces Brick to talk, forces him to say what it is that has made him turn his back on his wife and his family, the story being that Brick is angry and depressed with himself for not helping a friend who later committed suicide.

Another truth comes out when Big Daddy learns and admits that he really does have cancer, and he isn't going to live much longer.  Feeling a little depressed, himself, at the knowledge of this, Big Daddy retreats to the basement to be alone.  While the rest of the family is falling apart upstairs, due to arguing over Big Daddy's will, Brick goes down to the basement to confront his father.  They argue for a while, but eventually come to terms with eachother and their issues.  They go back upstairs to join the rest of the family.  Big Daddy makes it very clear that Brick's older brother and his wife won't see a penny of his money, and Brick beings to show affection toward Maggie, once again.

It's a very dramatic film, but a very good one.  It focuses on the important things in life, and the importance of forgiveness and truth, and showing true character in the face of death.

"Who has double eyelashes except a girl who was absolutely born to be on the big screen?"

-Roddy McDowall

"God forbid you do anything individual or go against the fad.But I did."

-Elizabeth Taylor

"If you think it's going to rain, it will."-Clint Eastwood

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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"Who said anything about goofing off?"-Van Johnson

Hello, all.

I have no book to post about (yet), and I already did a post on January's Star of the Month, but I just felt like posting something.

So, here's a fun post (not that all of my posts aren't fun for me)!

It's about one of my favorite actors, so I hope you enjoy!

Van Johnson

Born August 25, 1916

Died December 12, 2008

Charles Van Dell Johnson was born in Rhode Island in 1916. He was an only child, and had a troubled childhood. His mother was an alcoholic and left the small family when Johnson was very young, and he never seemed to get along very well with his father. He was known for his cheerful attitude throughout his life, but behind the scenes was said to be easily upset by things and suffered from bouts of melancholy.

Johnson was interested in acting and theater from an early age. He performed for social clubs and other such groups when he was in high school. Once he graduated he concentrated on building a career for himself, moving to New York City in 1935. His first big acting gig was a part in New Faces of 1936 on Broadway. After that he had small chorus jobs, off and on, until he was cast in the movie Too Many Girls in 1939. It was with many thanks to Lucille Ball that Johnson got his first contract with Warner Brothers Studios. His relationship with the studio didn't last long, but helped with publicity. Once he was finished with Warner, he gained a lasting contract with MGM.

Johnson starred in around 35 major motion pictures for MGM from 1943-1954. His first big film role with the studio was in A Guy Named Joe (1943), but some of his other well known roles were Marcus Macauley in The Human Comedy (1943), Ted Lawson in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), Andrew Larkin in In the Good Old Summertime (1949), Daniel Pierce in Invitation (1952), and Charles Wills in The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954).

Johnson's career didn't end when he left MGM, however. He went on to star in around 18 more movies, and was a part of 21 television productions. It is believed that he started the idea/tradition of "sitcom-walk on" appearances when he made a cameo appearance on the I Love Lucy Show in 1955.

Johnson was married to actress Eve Abbott from 1947 to 1968. The couple had only one child, a daughter named Schuyler (which is one of my favorite names....but only if I pronounce it.Which I supposedly do incorrectly). He stayed active in his career until 1992, when he went into retirement. Van Johnson died of natural causes in 2008, at the age of 92.

Now, I picked a movie starring Van Johnson (and alot of other people), which he made during his time at MGM.

Battleground

1949

Starring Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, and James Whitmore

Battleground is a WWII film that tells the true story of the 101st Airborn Division. The soldiers are in Bastogne, Belgium. They were sent to the frontlines to try and cut off a suspected German attack. There is a change of location several times, until the troops end up on the outskirts of town, in the woods. They are attacked at dawn, and over the next couple of days, the small division finds themselves surrounded, low on ammunition, and soon low in numbers as men get wounded and killed. There is a snow storm, and the weather conditions prohibit transport planes from delivering supplies. But the group perseveres until they can be relieved, earning themselves the nickname "Battered Bastards of Bastogne." The siege of Bastogne is a victory for the American troops.

There are several remarkable things about the movie Battleground. One is that it is considered to be the first significant film about WWII that was released shortly after the war. Also, 20 veterans from the 101st Airborn Division were called in to help train all the actors, and they acted as extras on the movie set. The movie is excellent, and received a good deal of recognition for portraying a very vulnerable side to the soldiers.The movie won 2 Academy Awards.

That's all for today!

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Photo Contest!

Alright, this is definitely a first for Think Classic, and I'm not 100% sure how it's going to turn out, but we're going to try a photo contest!

THE RULES

Since this is basically just an experiment, I'm going to keep the rules really simple.

1. Find a black and white picture you really like. It can be anything. A picture of yourself, your friends, tattoo, jewelry, clothes, travel, a picture you took, or a picture you find online,etc. Just try to be creative and choose a picture you love.

2. Submit it to me either by tagging @Think_Classic in the picture you submit to Twitter, OR post a picture of your choosing on the Think Classic Facebook page wall (link below).

3. You have a week to submit your photo.I will stop accepting them at midnight on Wednesday, January 25.

4. ***PLEASE, if you are searching for a photo online, pay attention to whether it is copyrighted, because Think Classic will not be held responsible for any copyright infringements***

THE PRIZE

For the month of February, 31 Days of Oscar will be going on with TCM, so there is not a specifically chosen Star of the Month.

The prize for the photo contest winner will be a brief mention of them in a post that also includes a write-up on who they would choose for Star of the Month, what movie with that star they would choose for Movie of the Month, and why.

I'm looking forward to seeing what people submit, and who the winner will choose as Star of the Month!

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"I never regretted what I turned down."-Angela Lansbury

STAR OF THE MONTH

Angela Lansbury

Born October 16, 1925

Angela Brigid Lansbury, oldest child of Moyna MacGill and Edgar Lansbury, was born in Poplar, London in October of 1925. Her mother was an actress, and often took her to the theater to see plays. Lansbury also studied the dramatic arts at two different schools in her early days.

In 1940, Lansbury's mother relocated the family to the United States. They originally started out in New York, but eventually settled in Los Angeles, where Lansbury began to work at a local department store. At the age of 18, Lansbury was offered a part in the movie Gaslight (1944). She was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her first film role.

From there, Lansbury's career took off. She has maintained a very successful career in theater and television, as well as movies. She has been in 17 theater productions at Broadway and West End, including Mame, Hamlet, and Sweeney Todd; been a part of 22 television productions, probably one of her most famous being Jessica Fletcher in the series Murder, She Wrote; and she has been in 54 major film productions (including her upcoming 2012 film Adaline), with some of her most notable roles being Semadar in Samson and Delilah (1949), Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Salome Otterbourne in Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile (1978), and Mrs. Potts in the Beauty and the Beast franchise.

Angela Lansbury is still alive and well at the age of 86. She became a naturalized United States Citizen in 1951, and now resides in New York.

MOVIE OF THE MONTH

The Picture of Dorian Gray

1945

Starring Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed and Angela Lansbury

Dorian Gray (Hatfield) is a very young and extremely easily influenced man. He comes to believe that the two most important things in life are youth and money. He decides life is only worth living if you have those two things forever. His friend Basil paints a portrait of him as a gift, and Dorian makes a wish that his portrait would age instead of himself, so that he could look as young and pure as his likeness.His wish magically comes true, and Dorian does not outwardly age.

Time passes, and Dorian falls in love with a young actress named Sibyl (Lansbury). Unfortunately he is easily convinced by an acquaintance to break her heart and abandon the relationship for "more important things in life." So, even though he really does love Sibyl, he leaves her, and shortly afterwards learns that she has killed herself.

Rather than grieve for this loss, Dorian locks away his emotions and concentrates on worldly things.He begins to notice that the portrait of himself is changing. It frightens him, so he locks away the portrait in his childhood playroom, where nobody can see it.

Time passes, as it always will, and Dorian continues to remain young, even though he should be aging. He occasionally looks at his portrait which has become uglier as he has become more sinful, cold, and hedonistic over the years. He does not, however, change his ways, and the portrait haunts him, constantly weighing on his mind. Eventually his paranoia over it causes him to murder a close friend. Dorian feels his responsibility for the crime, and realizes the person he has become. Wishing to spare Gladys (Reed), the girl he now loves, he stabs his portrait in the heart, thereby breaking the spell and killing himself.

As you might recall, I did a post on The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is based on the novel of the same name by Oscar Wilde, back in June.Obviously it isn't a bright, cheerful story, but it is very interesting. Wilde makes quite a statement on his views towards secular humanism and hedonism, etc. The film is beautifully and artistically done, and presents a fascinating story.

You can view the official original trailer here:

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/58887/Picture-of-Dorian-Gray-The-Original-Trailer-.html

And you can see selected clips from the movie play consecutively here:

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/252354/Picture-of-Dorian-Gray-The-Movie-Clip-Moral-Leprosy.html

That's all for today!

Don't forget, you can still see more Angela Lansbury movies on TCM every Wednesday in January.

Also, I'll be posting official information about the photo contest tomorrow.

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Welcome!

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the new page for Think Classic!

I really hope you like it.

I just figured I would try something a little different for the new year.

A little on the bright side? Yes, I know. But it's fun, and still vintage, so I think it will work for a while even if it's not permanent.

Just a forewarning though--As you can see, the text colors I have been using for the last year or so just aren't working as well with the new layout and background, so I will be playing around with what colors work.Right now I'm thinking: dark pink for key words, powder blue for dates/numbers, and pastel purple for titles, etc.

I also want to extend my apologies for being absent for a little while.

You know how the holidays go. I was traveling, and didn't always have internet access, and starting back to school, etc.

But I'm getting cozily settled back into my routine again, so I should be getting back on my horse and getting this show on the road.So, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your patience.

Now, I have a couple announcements:

First, just a heads-up, that I will be doing a post on TCM Star of the Month Angela Lansbury this Sunday, January 15. So look out for that.

Second, I am interested in doing a little contest. We'll see if this is actually achievable, but I would like to do some sort of a photo contest, where the winner will get their own brief background mention in a post that also includes a write up on who they would pick for Star of the Month and why. I think I'll tie up all the loose ends of this idea and the official details will be included at the end of the post for Angela Lansbury.

So, I think that's about it for now.

I'm so excited about a whole new year of posts on everything classic and vintage. A whole new year of being able to share my passion.

Welcome back, if you're one of my faithful followers, and just plain welcome if you're just joining us here at Think Classic!

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

And comment, whether good or bad, as always. You have no idea how great it is to get feedback.

"New Year's Day is every man's birthday."-Charles Lamb

There's a lot of good history and tradition behind New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebrations, and since the new year is in sight, I thought it'd be fun to give a little backgroud.But not in a droll, boring kid of way, of course.

As most people know, even if they don't live in the United States, in America, one of our biggest celebrations for New Year's Eve is the ball drop in Times Square.

The original ball was dropped on New Year's Eve in 1907.

The ball was made of wood and iron, weighed around 700 pounds, and only measured 5 feet in diameter.

Now, if you know anything about the New Year's ball we currently have perched in Times Square, you couldn't help but notice that it has undergone some drastic changes for the better since 1907. It was replaced for the first of several times in 1920.It remained the same size of 5 feet in diameter, but was made only of iron, and weighed around 400 pounds.That ball stayed in use until the 1950s, when it was replaced for a second time with a ball made of aluminum, making it weigh a slight 150 pounds.
The year 1995 brought some interesting changes.Rhinestone and strobe lights were added to the ball.This was also the first year that the ball was lowered with computer technology.
A new ball was designed for the new millenium-radically different from the old ones.
This new ball measured 6 feet in diameter, weighed over 1,000 pounds, was covered in over 500 Waterford Crystal triangles, and was illuminated with 600 bulbs (both internal and external) plus strobe lights and spinning mirrors.
One thing I hadn't known before today, but I think is really neat, is that many of these triangles on the New Millenium ball were inscribed with messages like "Hope for Fellowship," "Hope for Wisdom," "Hope for Unity," etc. The New Millenium ball was used for 7 years.
Then, for the 100th anniversary of the ball drop, yet another ball was made.This ball was 6 feet in diameter, weighs 1,212 pounds, and was lit with LED lights. This fifth Centennial ball was used for only one year (which seems a little extravagant/excessive to me, but what do I know?).
It was then replaced by the ball we will be using tomorrow night.The same design was kept, but it was enlarged so that the current ball sitting in Times Square as I type is 12 feet in diameter, weighs over 11,000 pounds, and has over 9,000 bulbs that light it.This new ball is so much bigger and heavier that the flag pole it sits on had to be rebuilt to support it.

"Should old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot
And old lang syne?
For auld lang syne,my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne."

First verse and chorus to the song Auld Lang Syne, based off of a traditional Scottish poem.
The phrase "auld lang syne" translates to something along the lines of "old times," and is sung at many things that signify the ending of one chapter in life and the beginning of another, but is most widely known today for being sung at midnight on New Year's Eve.
Listen to the song here:

And, with that, I wish you a very safe and happy New Year's Eve tomorrow.
Celebrate it with people you love.
Here's to resolutions
hope for a new year
and hope that the New Year's Eve ball really doesn't get stuck halfway down the flagpole.
;)

"For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice."-T.S. Eliot

"Some people swear there's no beauty left in the world, no magic. Then how do you explain the whole world coming together to celebrate the hope of a new year?"-New Year's Eve, 2011