In 1956: Elvis Presley made his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show; Pakistan became the first Islamic republic; The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed over five hundred for the first time; As the World Turns debuted on CBS; Rocky Marciano retired from boxing with a career record of forty-nine wins and zero losses; Dean Martin and Jerry… Continue reading When Elvis was king: A look back at 1956
Tag: Rock Hudson
The fourteenth year of the reign of the second Queen Elizabeth: A look back at 1966
In 1966: Indira Gandhi was elected Prime Minister of India; John Lennon told a reporter for the London Evening Standard the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus;” The Cultural Revolution began in China; It’s a Small World opened in Disneyland; The US Supreme Court ruled suspects must be informed of their rights before they can be questioned; England won… Continue reading The fourteenth year of the reign of the second Queen Elizabeth: A look back at 1966
Dean’s list
Despite only appearing in three major films before his death at age 24, James Dean was ranked the 18th greatest male film star by the American Film Institute. This is my ranked list of his films. 3) Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Teenager Jim Stark (James Dean) moves to Los Angeles with his parents and befriends outcasts Plato… Continue reading Dean’s list
The sorrowful vampyre is obsessed with blood
The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) Marcel Ophuls (son of French director Max Ophuls) documents the collaboration between French government officials and Nazis during World War II, exploring what people will compromise in order to survive and how a nation responds to an existential crisis. He interviews members of the French resistance as well as… Continue reading The sorrowful vampyre is obsessed with blood
The fabulous pillow
Pillow Talk (1959) Jan Morrow (Doris Day), a strong, independent women, lives next door to misogynistic Brad Allen (Rock Hudson) whose womanizing monopolizes the party line in their building, repulsing Morrow while charming her older housekeeper Alma (Thelma Ritter). Through a series of contrived circumstances, Allen and Morrow fall in love. Day and Ritter earned Oscar nominations,… Continue reading The fabulous pillow