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…
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.”
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…
Lisa’s Home Bijou: Moon Over Miami
Film Festival: Art Deco Betty Grable is our hostess for a romance-filled tour in Moon Over Miami. When you think about Art Deco, Miami Beach comes to mind. It’s one of the best places in America to see Art Deco buildings and style integrated into the fabric of a city. “We’re going to Miami. That’s…
The Lady Eve comedy con game: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: Cruise Ship Romance The Lady Eve (1941) is a sparkling romance on a cruise ship and a revenge plot in high society Connecticut. Barbara Stanwyck plays dual roles with Henry Fonda as the young heir of a brewing fortune. I’ve always loved the fantasy life of people cruising on ships in the old…