talkies Archives * Spellbound with Beth Ann

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 William Wellman Blogathon: Maybe It’s Love (1930)

Beth Ann Gallagher
Blogathons, Collegiate, Comedians & Comediennes, Comedies, Directors, Joan Bennett, Joe E. Brown, Pre-Code, William Wellman, William Wellman
Sep 13, 2015
5 Comments

After William Wellman got sick of his treatment at Paramount Pictures, he showed why his nickname “Wild Bill” stuck. He covered Producer B.P. Schulberg‘s desk in manure and left a note on top of the pile reading: “Here’s what I think of your lousy script!” Despite his bad boy behavior, Wellman was in demand. He could make any…

Cinefest 35 Storifyed!

Beth Ann Gallagher
Cinefest, Comedies, Cowboy Films, Documentaries, Drama, Film Festivals, Musicals, Pre-Code, Romantic, Silent Film, War Films, Westerns
Apr 7, 2015
2 Comments

In advance of my write-up of Cinefest 35, I’ve curated an account of the Syracuse Cinephile Society‘s final film festival from my and other attendees’ social media postings. You can read our shared excitement as the festival unfolded and all the great tidbits we shared about the films and our experiences. It was over much too…

Happy New Year–Especially for Fans of Clara Bow!

Beth Ann Gallagher
Clara Bow, Screenings, Seasonal Greetings
Jan 1, 2013
2 Comments

Happy New Year’s wishes go to readers of Spellbound! I suspect quite a few of you brought in the New Year by celebrating with cinematic treats. I did. Hubby and I brought in the New Year watching a pair of Deanna Durbin movies at the Stanford Theatre. We started with the 7:30 PM screening, which…

The Actors: Rare Films Of Clara Bow Volume 3

We finished watching The Actors: Rare Films Of Clara Bow Volume 3 last night. Kid Boots was a cute Eddie Cantor vehicle. Clara Bow was Cantor’s character’s love interest. They made for a pairing. They actually had chemistry. She brought a breezy, natural quality to a simple role that would have been forgettable except for…

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