romance Archives * Spellbound with Beth Ann

An Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood in CHILDREN OF DIVORCE (1927)

Beth Ann Gallagher
1920s, Available on DVD, Blogathons, Children of Divorce (1927), Clara Bow, Divorce, Era, Esther Ralston, Flicker Alley's Children of Divorce, Gary Cooper, Hedda Hopper, Holidays, Movies, National Flapper Day, Silent Film, Sisterhood
Nov 16, 2016
2 Comments

In honor of National Flapper Day, I’ve reposted my essay on CHILDREN OF DIVORCE (1927), which was originally published on Flicker Alley‘s blog. Before they were jazz babies, they were jazz orphans. Their parents’ marriages dissolved under the influence of new post-war mores, and childhoods became a belated war casualty. Lacking role models, another generation seems doomed…

San Francisco Silent Film Festival Preview, Part 2

Beth Ann Gallagher
Film Festivals, San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Silent Film
May 26, 2015
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Saturday morning’s program starts with the family-friendly Speedy (1928), and some parents likely will bring their tots for an outing to this screening. I love seeing kids getting their introduction to silents or enjoying a return trip to the festival. Comedies are a great gateway into silent film for all ages. In this slapstick feature,…

The Pre-Code Blogathon: Trouble in Paradise (1932)

Beth Ann Gallagher
Available on DVD, Blogathons, Herbert Marshall, Kay Francis, Miriam Hopkins, Pre-Code, Pre-Code, Uncategorized
Apr 4, 2015
2 Comments

It’s hard not to get seduced into enjoying Trouble in Paradise. Ernst Lubitsch‘s 1932 pre-code delights on all levels. Leads Miriam Hopkins, Kay Francis, and Herbert Marshall look their best while giving career high performances. The dialogue they speak with ease is witty, naughty, and quotable. They move about in gorgeous art deco sets. The…

World War One in Classic Film Blogathon

Beth Ann Gallagher
Blogathons, Documentaries, Drama, Mexico, Movie Streams & Downloads, Must Watch List, Old Time Radio, Trailers, Tune in or DVR, World War One in Classic Film
Aug 2, 2014
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“Art is a wound turned into light,” said painter Georges Braque. It’s only fitting then that the place of light and shadows, the cinema, was where those early generations turned to make sense of The Great War. As soon as it was over, the first films featuring it as a subject came out. They still come…

Tune in Tonight or Set Your DVRs! Souls for Sale Re-Airs on TCM.

Beth Ann Gallagher
Airing on TCM, Available on DVD, Eleanor Boardman, Movies About Making Movies, Must Watch List, Rupert Hughes, Silent Film, Tune in or DVR
Jan 19, 2014
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This month marks the eighth anniversary of the Turner Classic Movies broadcast premiere of Souls for Sale (1923), and the network obliges silent film buffs by re-airing the film tonight at 9 PM PT/Midnight ET. Viewers who have never seen Rupert Hughes‘s film before or those who love movies about making movies are in for a treat!…

Happy New Year!

Beth Ann Gallagher
Comedies, David Niven, Ginger Rogers, Holidays, New Year, New Year's Eve, Romantic, Screwball
Jan 1, 2014
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Wishing you a wonderful New Year’s Eve and New Year! May both be filled with everyone and everything you love–like movies! As a special holiday treat for you, here is a scene from one of my favorite screwball comedies, Bachelor Mother (1939). Its plot seems inspired by Clara Bow‘s It (1927). A salesgirl named Polly Parrish…

The Valley of the Giants (1927) Bill

Saturday night I made a trip back in time to enjoy early cinema; I caught the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum‘s program. Judith Rosenberg, who’s well known in the Bay Area and beyond, she participated in the Master Class for silent film musicians at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival, played piano scores for each film….

San Francisco Silent Film Festival Silent Winter 2013

Beth Ann Gallagher
Film Festivals, San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Silent Film
Feb 17, 2013
0 Comments

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival‘s annual Silent Winter closed with the grand sounds of the Mighty Wurlitzer last night. I had to sit in my seat overwhelmed by the last film and the day for a moment. Before the festival’s end, we were treated to fairy tales, laughs, romance, heartbreak, and redemption. All this…

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Beth Ann Gallagher
Dancers, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gower Champion, Holidays, Marge Champion, Musicals, Romance, Valentine's Day
Feb 14, 2013
5 Comments

For Valentine’s Day, here is one of my favorite romantic scenes from a musical. The film Lovely to Look At, a remake of Roberta, may not be memorable as a whole, but it showcases some imaginative dance sequences featuring Marge and Gower Champion. While they had the unenviable task of replacing Ginger Rogers and Fred…

Elsa Lanchester as Queenie in Bell, Book and Candle

This post is part of the What A Character! Blogathon. It runs September 22 through 24. It celebrates the character actors who helped make classic film as great as it was. One of my favorite movies to watch at Christmas-time is Bell, Book and Candle. Growing up, I’d often watch it with my family as…

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