Bus Stop (1956) opens with Virgil (Arthur O’Connell) and Bo (Don Murray) practicing steer wrestling for the rodeo in beautiful Montana. Bo is the very young owner of the ranch and Virgil is his top hand. They get on a bus to ride from Montana to Phoenix for the big rodeo. Oh for the old…
Culture
In “Lisa’s Home Bijou”, I’ll share my reviews of classic films and hopefully inspire you to have a few film festivals of your own. I am proud to claim Betty Grable as a distant cousin. My “film career” began when my parents named me for Leslie Caron’s character in “An American in Paris.”
Come Back, Little Sheba: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: William Inge Come Back, Little Sheba (1952) is based on William Inge’s first Broadway play. It’s a drama of a marriage started for the wrong reasons and people staying together with their dreams lost. Lola Delaney (Shirley Booth) greets student Marie Buckholder (Terry Moore) at the door of the house. Lola is still…
Splendor in the Grass romance: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: William Inge In 1961, William Inge and Elia Kazan made Splendor in the Grass, a film based on an actual tragic story Inge knew from his Kansas childhood in the 1920s. Starring Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty (his film debut), Splendor in the Grass is unforgettable. The title comes from a William Wordsworth…
Picnic a Kansas summer romance: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: William Inge As Picnic (1956) opens, a young man (William Holden) rides into town on a boxcar in the early morning. He’s dusty and dirty and he cleans himself up in the mill race. He wanders through the backyards and picks a back door to knock on. Mrs. Potts offers him food, after…
Lisa’s Home Bijou: Grand Hotel
Film Festival: Art Deco Located in decadent pre-war Berlin, Grand Hotel is an art deco treasure, where music is always playing and the people are always beautiful. The film Grand Hotel won the Best Picture Oscar in 1932 and is still a winner today. “I just want to be alone.” — Greta Garbo as Lizibeta Grusinskaya Grand…