Boy howdy, now that the super-busy part of my summer is over, I'm just full of blog posts, aren't I?

Cordy over at Any Merry Little Thought is hosting a delightful classic movie blog party ALL MONTH LONG!  I'm hoping to contribute a post or two, but for right now, I'm going to fill out this charming little "would you rather" questionairre she posted here.

~Would you rather dance with Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly?~ 

Gene Kelly, no questions ask.  He's a dear favorite of mine!  I love his energy and vitality and cheerful smile.  He always looks like dancing is fun, even when he's serious.


~Would you rather star opposite Cary Grant or Gregory Peck?~ 

Gregory Peck, for sure.  I mean, I do enjoy a lot of Cary Grant movies, but... but... Gregory Peck.



~Would you rather be serenaded by Howard Keel or Bing Crosby?~ 

Der Bingle, please!  His voice makes me think of melted chocolate.


~Would you rather share an airplane ride with Danny Kaye or Donald O'Connor?~ 

Ummmm.  Neither of them would be flying the plane, right?  If you just mean sit next to one of them on an airplane, then I'll say Danny Kaye.  He's always struck me as sweet and intelligent and a bit melancholy beneath the silliness.

~What classic movie outfit would you steal?~ (No you cannot say all of them! ;)) 

I have ALWAYS wanted to wear this pink dress from White Christmas (1954).




~Would you rather be cast in a classic noir film or a classic western?~ 

A classic western.  Though, could it be a noir-esque western like 3:10 to Yuma (1957)?




~Would you rather go on a shopping spree with Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly?~ 

Ouch.  That is a REALLY hard choice.  I love their styles so much!  But I'll have to choose Audrey Hepburn because she has more functional perkiness to her look than Grace Kelly does, so I'd be more likely to wear things we shopped for together.



~Would you rather solve a mystery with William Powell or Myrna Loy?~ 

MYRNA LOY!!!!!!!  I absolutely adore her -- she's one of my favorite actresses.  She's always playing these sensible, sweet characters with a great sense of humor.  Also, hey, it was her birthday earlier this month!


~Would you rather imitate Jimmy Stewart's voice in front of Jimmy Stewart, or imitate Maureen O'Hara's "temper" in front of Maureen O'Hara?~

Haha!  I think both of those would be really fun.  I choose Maureen O'Hara cuz she's my absolute favorite actress and she'd probably think it was quite funny if I imitated her, since I'd likely do it badly.  Maybe I could do a rendition of her yelling at Jamie Boy in The Black Swan (1942) and threatening him with a pistol!


This was an excessively diverting game, Cordy!  I can't wait to see what else people post for the Month of Classics Blog Party :-)

Eva's Alfred Hitchcock Blogathon has begun!  This is my contribution to the event, the list of my favorite Hitch films.  Are any of these your favorites?  Does your taste coincide with me, or differ wildly?  I'd love to hear which of his films you love best!



1.  Shadow of a Doubt (1943)  A young woman (Teresa Wright) who idolizes her uncle (Joseph Cotten) slowly comes to suspect that he's not the nice, kindly man she thought, but actually a serial killer.  Yes, I love this one especially much for Joseph Cotten, as he's a pet of mine and this is one of his best performances.

2.  To Catch a Thief (1955)  French authorities ask a reformed cat burglar (Cary Grant) to help them catch another jewel thief, using the glittering assets of a lovely socialite (Grace Kelly) as bait.  This is just one gorgeous costume after another, with snazzy dialog to match.

3.  The Trouble with Harry (1955)  Harry is dead, and various people try to figure out what to do with his body.  It's kind of a screwball black comedy, if you can imagine that combination.  Daffy and delightful.

4.  North by Northwest (1959)  A normal guy (Cary Grant) gets mistaken for a spy by an Evil Bad Guy (James Mason) and goes on the run with a lovely blonde (Eva Marie Saint), who I'm sure had a connection to the plot somehow, but I can never remember what it is.  It doesn't matter, cuz this one is great fun even so.

5.  Rear Window (1954)  Wheelchair-bound photographer (James Stewart) and his girlfriend (Grace Kelly) spy on their neighbors and suspect one of them has committed murder.  But how to prove it?  Voyeuristic filmmaking at its best, it reminds us that we're just peeking at movie characters through a window too.

6.  Dial 'M' for Murder (1954)  A rich tennis champ (Ray Milland) wants his wife (Grace Kelly) to die, and each time his plan goes awry, he concocts a new one.  The real mystery for me is why she ever married him the first place, but whatever, it's tense and thrilling.

7.  Strangers on a Train (1951)  Two strangers (Farley Granger and Robert Walker) meet on a train (you could've guessed that much from the title, right?) and casually discuss the idea of killing off each others' annoying relations.  Only then one of them actually does it.  This one always gets me on the edge of my seat even though I don't particularly like any of the characters.

8.  Rebecca (1940)  A young lady (Joan Fontaine) marries a rich, older widower (Laurence Olivier) and finds herself tormented by the idea of his first wife.  Secrets and obsession at their darkest.

9. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)  An American couple (James Stewart and Doris Day) on holiday in Morocco accidentally get involved in a conspiracy and find not only their own lives threatened, but their child's as well.  I really just like this one for the cast, as the plot never grabs me very much.  But I do love James Stewart and Doris Day.

10. Stage Fright (1950)  A young actress (Jane Wyman) tries to prove that her friend (Richard Todd) is innocent of killing the husband of his mistress (Marlene Dietrich).  And then she starts to wonder if he's innocent after all.  This is another one I mostly love for the cast, as I have a soft spot for Richard Todd.  It's got a great plot and everything, I just mostly like it for him.


Don't forget to visit Coffee, Classics, and Craziness for all the Hitchock-themed fun over the next few days!