female Archives * Spellbound with Beth Ann

Women’s History Month Read THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE

Beth Ann Gallagher
Book Reviews, Frances Marion, Mary Pickford, Women's History Month
Mar 23, 2018
2 Comments

Melanie Benjamin’s novel delves into the extraordinary friendship and careers of Mary Pickford and Frances Marion.

EARLY WOMEN FILMMAKERS New Release Contest!

Beth Ann Gallagher
Classic Film, Contests, Directors, Silent Film, Women Film Directors
May 8, 2017
4 Comments

You’ve a chance to win Flicker Alley’s new release EARLY WOMEN FILMMAKERS!

Evolution of a Look: THE RED SHOES (1948) vs LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FABULOUS STAINS (1982)

Beth Ann Gallagher
1940s, 1980s, Diane Lane, Era, Moira Shearer, Movies, The Fabulous Stains (1982), The Red Shoes (1948), Times Square (1980)
Feb 24, 2017
0 Comments

THE JAPAN TIMES published a good article on how mainstream cinema virtually ignored punk. Those kind of pieces always prompt someone to name films missed. This time that someone was I! I noticed a lack of female-centric films on the list. I would’ve added proto-riot grrrl flicks TIMES SQUARE (1980) and LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FABULOUS STAINS (1982)….

Happy International Women’s Day 2016!

Beth Ann Gallagher
Anita Loos, Holidays, International Women's Day, Screenwriters
Mar 8, 2016
0 Comments

For International Women’s Day, let’s take a moment to remember a woman of words, Anita Loos. She started screenwriting in the silent era, and she’s credited for elevating the intertitle beyond the functional into an art form. A wordsmith, wit, and satirist, her intertitles had zing. Yes, they had “It.” It’s likely her exposure to the family tabloid…

The Women Film Critics Twitter List

Beth Ann Gallagher
Film Community, Film Critics, Film Twitter, Women Film Critics
Mar 6, 2016
2 Comments

What else was I up to during my winter blogging hiatus? My most initially time-consuming movie project outside of Spellbound involves Twitter. After articles from Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and Variety bemoaned the lack of women film critics or their lack of prominence in the industry, I decided to do something pro-active. I created a women film critics…

#52FilmsByWomen

Beth Ann Gallagher
#52FilmsByWomen, Directors, Viewing Campaigns, Women Film Directors
Mar 5, 2016
0 Comments

During my recent blogging hiatus, I took a movie-watching pledge that’s perfect to share with you during March, which is Women’s History Month. I pledged to watch 52 Films By Women. I’m watching at least one film directed by a woman a week. I started fulfilling my pledge in January. I’m not alone in joining the…

Black Friday Treat: The Bargain of the Century (1933)

Beth Ann Gallagher
1930s, Black Friday, Charley Chase, Comedies, Directors, Era, Hal Roach, Holidays, Length, Producers, Shorts, Slapstick, Thelma Todd, ZaSu Pitts
Nov 27, 2015
2 Comments

Feeling Black Friday fatigue? Here’s a delightful Thelma Todd and ZaSu Pitts comedy teaming, The Bargain of the Century (1933), that pokes fun at battling for bargains for you! The duo’s slapstick antics bring humor to scenes best experienced secondhand. In their quest for a good deal, the women give and get bruises in a…

CMBA Forgotten Stars Blogathon: The Time Bebe Daniels Couldn’t Get Out of a Speeding Ticket

Beth Ann Gallagher
Bebe Daniels, Blogathons, CMBA, Forgotten Stars
Oct 31, 2014
25 Comments

It reads like a publicity stunt out of the movie Bombshell. Silent film sweetheart Bebe Daniels was ticketed for speeding, tried, convicted, sentenced to jail, and forced to serve time. Rather than being planned like the stunts in that movie, Bebe did like to speed, and she had gotten caught. Her press agent helped her spin a potentially…