McGuffin Files - The Search (1948)

Fred Zinnemann's "The Search" is the poignant and heartwarming story of a young boy lost in post World War II Germany. Young Karel Malik (Ivan Jandl), separated from his Czech family, forgets his identity and much of his humanity after experiencing the atrocities of war and somehow surviving Aushwitz. Offered help by th Allies, Karel and some of the other children are frightened by the soldiers and flee. At the same time we learn that Karel's mother (Jarmila Novotna) is alive and searching for him. Later, a hungry Karel stumbles upon Ralph "Steve" Stevenson (Montgomery Clift's film debut) eating a sandwich. After a great struggle to build trust, Steve takes Karel under his wing and with no knowledge of who the boy is, begins to make plans to take him with him when he returns to America. 

Also starring Wendell Corey and Alene McMahon, "The Search" was nominated for five Academy Awards and win two: Best Screenplay and Best Juvenile Performance for Ivan Jandl. 

There is a brief shot of the Charles Bridge in Prague while a traditional Czech folk song is played. This took my breath away as I know I've heard that song played on the streets of Prague by contemporary street musicians. 

Rumor has it there are colorized versions floating around out there. Don't be a victim of the colorization fad, this is a beauty shot in glorious black and white!

3 Days Of The Condor (1975)

Sydney Pollack's "3 Days Of The Condor" is a great suspense film from 1975. Here Robert Redford is at his best, starring as a CIA researcher, Joe Turner - code name "Condor".  Turner's department reads and analyzes everything published looking for implanted messages. They work in a nondescript but secure building in NewYork  City. One day Turner leaves through an unsecure exit to pick up lunch for the office. When he returns, he finds his co-workers have been executed. 

Turner phones in to the CIA for a secure pick up ("I'm not a field agent, I just read books!"), but after a botched rescue he feels he can't trust anyone. Does the researcher have what it takes to to figure out who took out his section and why before they catch up to him?

MacGuffin Files - Connie & Carla (2004)

"Connie and Carla" is a fun, modern update on "Some Like It Hot". Some of the acting can be dry but you're not watching this movie for David Duchovny. You're watching for the glam pairing of Nia Vardalos (Connie) and Toni Collette (Carla), the show tunes, and Debbie Reynolds, baby! 

Singing and dancing BFFs since grade school, Connie and Carla witness a mafia hit and flee for their lives. They land in Las Vegas and find jobs as cross dressers. Yes, women dressing as men who dress as women. It's crazy and fun. And like I said, it's worth it for the show tunes!  I would love to see Nia and Toni do another movie together as they have great chemistry!

Here's some great quotes:

"Chins up, boobs out, it's showtime!"

"Life's like a patio door, you never know which side is open"

MacGuffin List - The Ten Commandments (1956)

Cecil B. Demille's groundbreaking biblical story tells of the life of Moses from birth to the 10 Commandments. After the Pharaoh condemns at newborn male Hebrew babies to be killed, his mother puts him in a basket made of reeds and sends him adrift down the river Nile. He is pulled from the river by the sister of the Pharaoh. She raises him as her own son as a prince of Egypt. When his true heritage is revealed, he is outcast. 

At over three and a half hours, though, plan accordingly to watch this long epic. 

My favorite lines from the film:

Moses: I'll not leave a man to die in the mud.

Simon: Thank you, my son... but death is better than bondage, for my days are ended and my prayer unanswered.

Moses: What prayer, old man?

Simon: That before death closed my eyes, I might behold the deliverer who will lead all men to freedom.

Moses: What deliverer could break the power of Pharaoh?

Egyptian guard: You!

AFIs #1 - Citizen Kane (1941)

"Citizen Kane" opens with newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane's death. His last word, "rosebud", sparks a mad hunt by reporters to uncover its meaning. Through newsreel coverage and interviews with old friends and associates we learn more about Kane's life.

As a boy his mother comes into money and she sends her son away to boarding school. He never returns home. He runs a newspaper with great success, but fails in several marriages.

Despite all the publicity, the film was a box-office flop and was quickly consigned to the RKO vaults. At 1941's Academy Awards the film was booed every time one of its nine nominations was announced. It was only re-released to the public in the mid-'50s.

The film's opening - just the title, no star names - was almost unprecedented in 1941. It is now the industry norm for Hollywood blockbusters today.

"Citizen Kane" is renowned today for its technical brilliance and groundbreaking achievements, especially that Welles himself was just 24 when he made this picture. 

I've given away many plot points and endings in my blog writings, but this one I won't. I want you to watch it and feel the surprise.

Female reporter: "If you could've found out what Rosebud meant, I bet that would've explained everything." 

Jerry Thompson: "No, I don't think so; no. Mr. Kane was a man who got everything he wanted and then lost it. Maybe Rosebud was something he couldn't get, or something he lost. Anyway, it wouldn't have explained anything... I don't think any word can explain a man's life. No, I guess Rosebud is just a... piece in a jigsaw puzzle... a missing piece."

AFIs # 57 - The Third Man (1949)

In my book Carol Reed's "The Third Man" is simply the best picture ever made. The best combination of script, acting, direction, cinematography, location, atmosphere and score.

Vienna in 1950 is occupied by four countries--the Americans, the British, the French and the Russians. Author Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives with the promise of a job with his friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Upon his arrival, however, he discovers that Harry has just died in an accident. Holly heads to the cemetery and attends Harry's funeral.

Holly begins to ask questions about what happened and learns there was a mysterious third man present at the accident and no one can identify him. That is, until the cat exposes him. The exposition of the story is unique as we don't see Harry Lime until over an hour into the picture and the story both begins and ends with his funerals.

The dialogue in German is not translated in order for the viewer to better understand Holly's point of view and his state of confusion. The script is full of witty dialogue in English too, such as "we should have dug deeper than a grave".

The cinematography here is just brilliant. Sharp and crisp shadows and glowing wet cobbled streets set Vienna as a character in and of itself. The camera is often tilted (Dutch angles), especially in several chase sequences.

The Third Man theme

Anton Karas was discovered by Carol Reed playing the zither at a production party as a member of the band. Reed had never heard the instrument before but was entranced. The director and musician did not speak the same language, but Reed insisted on using Karas on the zither, despite the fact that a score with a single instrument was nearly unheard of.

Nominated for three Academy Awards, it won one: Best Cinematography for Robert Krasker. The screenplay was written by Graham Greene with input from director Reed.

Carol Reed had three separate film units working most days of production: a daytime unit, a nighttime unit and a sewer unit. Reed insisted upon directing each unit, resulting in him working 20 hour days and becoming addicted to speed.

Orson Welles evaded production assistants and assistant director Guy Hamilton while traveling in Europe when he was supposed to be on location filming in Vienna. During Welles' unexpected absence, Carol Reed had to film around him, getting numerous spectacular shots in the sewers seen in the finished film. Numerous body doubles for Welles were used, included Hamilton, who was made to wear an over-sized hat and coat with the hanger still in it to approximate Welles' larger size. When Welles finally arrived, he was 2 weeks late. 

The Vienna Police Dept. has a special unit that is assigned solely to patrol the city's intricate sewer system, as its network of interlocking tunnels make great hiding places for criminals on the run from the law, stolen property, drugs, etc. The "actors" playing police officers in the film were actually off-duty members of that unit.

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film. For that reason, if possible get your hands on the Criterion Collection edition of "The Third Man" on dvd. The extras and documentaries included are worth the effort. 

The MacGuffin Files -The Quiet Man

John Ford's "The Quiet Man" is a brilliant piece of filmmaking. American Sean Thornton  (John Wayne) returns to his ancestral home in Ireland and falls for the girl next door, Mary Kate Danaher (Maureen O'Hara). But when it comes to courting and dowries, Sean's in over his head. 

Don't miss the scene where Sean finds Mary Kate has cleaned his new house; or the final battle between Sean and his brother-in-law, Will (Victor McLaglen).

Phenomenal leads and stellar supporting players. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, it won two: Best Cinematography and Best Director. 

At the film's conclusion, after the credits, we see Mary Kate and Sean standing in their garden waving good-bye. Maureen O'Hara turns to John Wayne and whispers something in his ear, evoking a priceless reaction from Wayne. What was said was known only to O'Hara, Wayne and director John Ford. In exchange for saying this unscripted bit of text, O'Hara insisted that the exact line never be disclosed by any involved parties. In her memoirs she says that she refused to say the line at first as she "couldn't possibly say that to Duke", but Ford insisted, claiming he needed a genuine shock reaction from Wayne. The line remains a mystery to this day.

AFIs #2 - Casablanca (1942)

During the early days of World War II American expatriate Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) runs a bar in Morroco and crosses paths with former lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) who left him with no explanation. Features a great supporting cast including Peter Lorre, Claude Rains and Sydney Greenstreet.

Directed by Michael Curtiz, "Casablanca" was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture.

"Casablanca" is another film beloved by the public that I'm just not impressed with. Don't hate me, but it's dull and boring. The most interesting thing in it is the line about "the usual suspects". Trust me, you don't need to watch it. If you do, don't blame me if you don't like it either!

MacGuffin List Contender - Hobson's Choice

David Lean's comedic turn with "Hobson's Choice" is brilliant! Charles Laughton plays Henry Horatio Hobson, a bootmaker. Well, at least in name. His business is actually run quite successfully by his oldest daughter, Maggie (Brenda da Bonzie) with help from younger sisters Alice (Daphne Anderson) and Vicky (Prunella Scales). Hobson is always sneaking away to his friends at the neighborhood bar and gets drunker and drunker throughout the progression of the film.

The movie begins with Hobson stating that he will choose husbands for the two youngest daughters, but doesn't mention Maggie. In fact, he laughs when she asks why he's leaving her out and declares she's past marrying age. Hmm, not a good idea. Maggie becomes a feminist in the Romantic vein almost immediately. Really, he doesn't want to part with Maggie as she not only manages the business but is also a great cook.

Maggie recognizes the talent in her father's bootmaker, Willie Mossop (John Mills), and knows that with his talent of bootmaking and her talent in business management, they might build a successful business together. And also a marriage. She gets down to arrangements immediately and with a little time, wins Willie over to the idea.

The Hobson sisters are in a pickle though, as tight Henry realizes they'll want dowry money and he proclaims he won't give any. Maggie declares she doesn't want anything from her father. On the morning of her wedding, after her father drunkenly chases the moon and falls into trouble, Maggie devises a plan to get them their dowry money.

An adaptation of Harold Brighouse's 1915 stage play, "Hobson's Choice" is such a delightful movie. Maggie's determination drives the plots as she outwits her father at every turn. She builds a business and a marriage and all along, gains our respect. Hobson is all bluster and noise. Willie, a delightful innocent man that Maggie molds into a confident businessman. 

The acting is top notch, the cinematography bold (David Lean's last picture in black and white), the story is fun! Watch "Hobson's Choice" today! 

(Try to get your hands on a copy of the DVD by Criterion. The commentary track features film scholars Alain Silver and James Ursini, co-authors of "David Leans And His Film".)

AFIs # 3 - The Godfather (1972)

Michael (Al Pacino), the youngest of the Corleone brothers, is a decorated World War II hero. He doesn't want anything to do with the "family business". When his father, Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), attempts to retire and pass the business to a successor, all hell breaks loose. An attempt is made on the Don's life. Michael can't walk away after this.

Nominated for eleven Academy Awards, "The Godfather" won three: Best Screenplay, Best Actor for Brando, and Best Picture.

An overly long homage to a mob family by director Frank Ford Coppola. Tells of murders, cannoli and horse heads in bed. 

AFIs # 4 - Gone With The Wind (1939)

In this adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's classic novel, Victor Fleming (and an uncredited George Cukor) bring this story of the south before, during and after the Civil War, to life.

Forever in love with Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) is doomed to unhappiness when he marries Melanie (Olivia de Havilland). She starts out spoiled and jealous and grows to be resourceful and manipulative. When she can't have the man she loves, she marries three times for convenience.

Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to be nominated for, and win, an Academy Award for her supporting performance as Mammy. Nominated for thirteen Academy Awards, "Gone With The Wind" won eight plus two special awards: Best Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress for Hattie McDaniel, Best Actress for Vivien Leigh, Best Director for Victor Fleming and Best Picture. Plus an honorary award for color achievement, and a technical achievement award for use of coordinated achievement.

AFIs #5 - Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)

David Lean's epic film, "Lawrence Of Arabia" tells the story of a complex and misfit British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence's journey from awkward soldier to a blaze of glory officer in Arabia during World War I. Beginning with the death of Lawrence in a motorcycle accident, the story is told in flashback beginning in 1916. Interestingly, Costume Designer Phyllis Dalton intentionally made Lawrence's uniform too small in order to symbolize his discomfort in it. 

Lawrence is sent to Arabia by Mr. Dryden (Claude Rains) of the Arab bureau to assess the feasibility of Prince Faisel (Alec Guinness) and his army as they revolt against the Turks. On his journey to Arabia Lawrence's guide is killed by Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif) by drinking his well water without permission, an introduction to Arab culture that is startling to Lawrence.

Once he arrives at Faisel's camp he also meets Colonel Brighton (Anthony Quayle). Brighton advises Lawrence to make his observations, keep quiet, and leave. But he doesn't. When Brighton and Faisel are discussing what their next step should be after a major defeat, Lawrence suggests a land attack on the coastal town of Akaba, while Brighton suggests retreat. The prince finds Lawrence and his suggestion intriguing and sends troops to Akaba with Lawrence and Ali in command. After Lawrence proves himself in the desert, Ali burns his uniform and provides Lawrence with his own robes.

After winning Akaba, Lawrence crosses the desert to Cairo to inform British command of their victory. They resupply Lawrence and send him back to Arabia, where he engages in guerrilla warfare that harasses the Turks wherever they turn. While scouting an enemy controlled city Lawrence is captured and tortured, and seemingly forever changed. Lawrence attempts to return to anonymity among the British forces, but they urge him back to Arabia and he ultimately cannot refuse.

Lawrence returns and gathers an army of mercenaries. One of their last battles is a massacre that Lawrence participates in with relish. Afterwards he realizes the horror of what he's done. 

His troops go on to take the city of Damascus, and the Arabs set up a council to rule it. But with leaders from different tribes they argue, and ultimately loose control to the British. No longer needed by the British forces or Prince Faisel, a dejected Lawrence is driven away.

Nominated for ten Academy Awards, "Lawrence Of Arabia" won seven: Best Musical Score, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Director and Best Picture. 

AFIs # 6 - The Wizard Of Oz (1939)

Young Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) feels forced to runaway in order to save her beloved dog, Toto (Terry), from the evil Miss Gulch (Margaret Hamilton). She happens upon Professor Marvel (Frank Morgan) who slyly encourages her to return to her beloved Aunt Em' (Clara Balndick) and Uncle Henry (Charley Grapewin). But as she nears home a tornado drops from the sky and she seeks shelter in the house, which is picked up by the storm and deposited in the faraway Land of Oz.

In this new, magical world she first meets Glinda (Billie Burke), the Good Witch. The Munchkins have called her as a new witch (Dorothy) has dropped a house on top of the Wicked Witch Of The East. At first wary, the Munchkins great Dorothy joyfully with song. Things are going great and then ''''boom''''', another witch appears. This time it's the Wicked Witch Of The West (Hamilton also), and she wants her sisters ruby slippers. But they magically transport to Dorothy's feet, and Dorothy has a mortal enemy.

Dorothy wants to return home and since she came via tornado Glinda and the Munchkins suggest she travel to the Emerald City to ask the wise man there known as the Wizard Of Oz. Along the way Dorothy meets a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger, also Hunk on the farm) without a brain. She helps him down from his post and he joins her, hoping the Wizard can give him some brains.

Down the road Dorothy and the Scarecrow find a Tin Man (Jack Haley, also Hickory on the farm), frozen in rust. The get him moving by zapping oil in all of his joints. This is when they discover that he hasn't got a heart, and he decides to join them too and ask the Wizard for a heart. 

The Yellow Brick Road winds through a dark forest and our three friends stumble upon the king of the forest, also known as the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr, also Zeke on the farm). He tries to be tough, but it's not long before they discover he's really just a coward. And why shouldn't he come along too, to see if the Wizard could give him some courage.

The Wicked Witch is watching them through her crystal ball. She throws a field of poppies at the four friends, and the Tin Man and Scarecrow and the only one not affected by their powers. They scream for help and, when Glinda hears them, she makes it magically snow, which allows Dorothy and the Lion to wake up. However, the Tin Man rusts frozen again and they have to lube him up again!

Emerald City is now within sight, and when Dorothy and friends arrive they ask to see the Wizard. They are first sent to clean up where Dorothy and the Lion get their hair done, the Scarecrow gets freshly stuffed, and the Tin Man gets polished. Their makeovers are interrupted by the Wicked Witch leaving a message in the sky, "Surrender Dorothy". The whole town is frightened by the Witch's appearance, so Dorothy and friends are allowed audience with the Wizard. He knows a surprising amount about each of the friends, and sends them on a nearly impossible mission, bring him the broom of the Wicked Witch Of The West.

The Witch, seeing the friends approaching through her crystal ball, sends the flying monkeys to bring Dorothy in, leaving the others behind. The Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion sneak in to rescue her but they don't get away without a great chase through the castles scene. When the Witch tries to light the Scarecrow on fire Dorothy grabs a nearby bucket of water, much of it hitting the Witch. And that's the end of her, she melts. 

When the friends return to the Wizard with the Witch's broomstick, he is uncovered as a fraud. He then awards a degree to the Scarecrow, a heart to the Tin Man, and gives an award of courage to the Lion. For Dorothy, he tries to get her home by taking her in the hot air balloon that he arrived in, but accidentally leaves without her.

Then Glinda reappears and tells Dorothy that she has had the power to get home all along, and it's in those ruby slippers. Dorothy tells her friends a tearful goodbye, then clicks her heals together three times, saying "There's no place like home".

When she awakens, she's back in her bedroom on the farm, with her Aunt and Uncle and all the farm hands. Professor Marvel stops by to check on her too. She tells them she's had a grand adventure, but that truly, there's no place like home.

Nominated for six Academy Awards it won two: Best Original Score and Best Original Song (Somewhere Over The Rainbow). Victor Fleming's (and George Cukor's, although uncredited) adaptation of the L. Frank Baum's book of the same name is a timeless classic. The movie begins in a rich sepia tone of black and white, and transitions to vivid Technicolor upon Dorothy's arrival in Oz. On your first viewing, and your 50th, it's breathtaking! 

Featuring songs you can't help but sing along too: "Ding Dong the Witch is dead"; "We're off to see the Wizard"; "If I Only Had A Brain"; "IF I Only Had  Heart" and many more. Also containing quotes that are firmly planted in pop culture: "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain"; "There's no place like home"; "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore", and "If I ever go looking for my hearts desire again I won't look any further than my own back yard, because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with."

CBS used to show this movie once a year on a Friday night at 7pm. It was 'don't miss' viewing. In fact, this movie is beloved by many in my family. In 2015 I traveled with a delegation of family and friends to view this movie on the big screen. It is beloved by so many people of all ages. 

AFIs #7 - The Graduate (1967)

Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) has just arrived back home after graduating from college. His parents and their friends expect to see great things from him. Ben, however, seems lost and depressed about the future. At a graduation party thrown for him by his parents, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), wife of his father's business partner, asks Ben for a ride home. She is a master manipulator and not only gets Benjamin into the house, she gets him into a bedroom and starts undressing. He flees in a panic, but they later start an affair that goes on for several months. 

Just after they break off their relationship Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross), comes home and Ben's parents insist that they go out on a date. Mrs. Robinson lays down the law to Ben that he is not to date her daughter. But he does. And he falls for her. Elaine finds out about Ben's affair with her mother and refuses to see him again. But Ben isn't ready to give up. Even after she plans to marry someone else. The intensity and emotion in the climax is just brilliant! 

Nominated for seven Academy Awards in won one: Best Director for Mike Nichols. Overall the Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack very good, but it grounds the film firmly in its era. There's nothing timeless here. And that's alright. It about a disillusionment felt by an entire generation. Sometime it's good to know where you belong and own it. 

AFIs #8 - On The Waterfront (1954)

Former boxer Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) now works the docks as an errand boy for corrupt union boss "Johnny Friendly" (Lee J. Cobb) in Elia Kazan's "On The Waterfront". Terry's brother Charley (Rod Steiger) is one of Johnny's closest guys.

When Terry unknowingly participates in a murder he begins to have second thoughts about his involvement, especially after meeting the murdered man's sister (Eva Marie Saint) and her priest, Father Barry (Karl Malden). 

Nominated for twelve Academy Awards "On The Waterfront" won eight: Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, BestSupporting  Actress (Eva Marie Saint), Best Lead Actor (Marlon Brando), Best Director and Best Picture. 

AFIs #9 - Schindler's List - 1993

Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List" is a profound story of two phenomenal men in a time of horror, and one maniac. Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) is a Moravian businessman who comes to Krakow, Poland, to start a business and take advantage of cheap labor. He wants to produce enamelware pots for the German Army. Schindler, a member of the Nazi party, is an opportunist, who lavishes bribes on officials in order to get his business off the ground. Schindler acquires a factory, but knowing nothing about this type of business he needs help. This is when he finds Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), a Jew who has contacts in the Jewish underground. With Stern's contacts and management of the business, and Schindler's bribes to the SS, they build a successful business. Stern falsifies documents to deem as many workers "essential" as possible, in order to save them from being sent to concentration camps.

Meanwhile, a labor camp is built outside of Krakow. Camp commandant Amon Göth (Ralph Fiennes) leads the liquidation of the Krakow Ghetto. Göth is absolutely brutal and maniacal in his command. He shoots people for sport. Eventually the orders come in for Göth to exhume the bodies of the people killed in the Krakow ghetto and then work to dismantle the camp. During this time Schindler keeps in Göth's good graces, to continue to secure favorable treatment. 

Schindler's philosophy shifts as he saw the devastation of the ghetto liquidation. Without revealing his intentions, he urges Göth to let him relocate his factory and keep his workers in an effort to save their lives. Göth acquiesces, charging a certain amount of money for each worker. 

The men and boys are shipped on a separate train from the women and girls. The men arrive safely, but the women are diverted to Auschwitz, and Schindler must race to save them and must make additional bribes.  

Schindler finally runs out of money just as the Germans surrender. Since he profited from slave labor he must flee the oncoming Russian Army. He gathers his things to flee in the night, while his workers prepare a letter in case he is captured - signed by everyone in the camp - and give him a specially made ring with the Talmudic quotation, "He who saves the life of one man, saves the world entire." 

The film concludes with a switch from black and white to color. The actors then walk to Schindler's grave with the real life person they portrayed, and leave symbolic rocks on his gravestone.

Nominated for twelve Academy Awards, "Schindler's List" won seven: Best Original Score (John Williams), Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture.

At his insistence, all royalties and residuals from this film that would normally have gone to director Steven Spielberg instead are given to the Shoah Foundation, which records and preserves written and videotaped testimonies from survivors of genocide worldwide, including the Holocaust.

AFIs #10 - Singin' In The Rain (1952)

It's 1927 in Hollywood. Monumental Pictures biggest on-screen couple, Lina Lamont and Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), are a couple off-screen as well, if you believe the press. But in reality, Don can't stand Lina! Their latest picture for Monumental is another silent that's turning out to be a bomb as they are filming. That is, until the release of "The Jazz Singer". Don, his best friend, Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor), and Don's new love interest, Kathy (Debbie Reynolds), come up with the idea of adding sound and a few musical numbers to save the picture. 

Co-directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, "Singin' In The Rain" features iconic numbers such as: "Singin' In The Rain", "Make Em' Laugh", "Gotta Dance", "Fit As A Fiddle", "All I Do Is Dream Of You", "Good Morning" and so many more. Nominated for two Academy Awards, it won nothing.

"Singin' In The Rain' features some of the greatest musical numbers of all time and also tells the interesting tale of the silent to talkie transition. However, to me, it has always seemed jarringly incongruous and hodgepodged together. When I discovered that the script had been written after the songs, forcing the writers to generate a plot into which the songs would fit, my feelings made sense. I wish they would have kept trying to find a better plot to carry such wonderful songs.

AFIs #11 - It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life" opens with views from outside of houses in Bedford Falls as we overhear peoples' prayers for George Bailey. Cut to a view of the heavens, and the angels have heard the prayers for George and are sending the next Angel up for duty, Clarence. Before departing for Earth, Joseph asks Clarence to become familiar with George and his story.

With Clarence (Henry Travers), we follow George Bailey (James Stewart) from childhood to adulthood, and witness all the hard knocks that come his way. George looses the hearing in his left ear after saving his brother from drowning and getting a serious infection. George dreams of going to college to be an architect and also of traveling the world, but his father dies and he must run the business or loose it to his (and his father's) nemesis, Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore). He uses his college money to send his brother, Harry (Todd Karns), in exchange for the brother coming back to work while George goes to college, but the brother comes back married with a job offer from his new father-in-law. And once George marries Mary (Donna Reed), and has saved for a honeymoon there is a run on the bank and they save the Building & Loan with their honeymoon money.

"It's A Wonderful Life" is a story told in three parts: the build up, the blow up, and the "this is your life" conclusion. Up to the point of the blow up, George has been disappointed and unfulfilled by life's circumstances, but he gets married, has children and keeps the Building & Loan running, until one serious mistake by his uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell). Billy has misplaced a huge deposit and George could go to jail. He lashed out at family and friends and ultimately exclaims that he wishes he'd never lived as he is about to jump off a bridge.

It's at this point that we meet the Angel Second Class named Clarence, when he jumps in the river to stop George from killing himself so that George will instead jump in to save Clarence. George doesn't realize the positive affect he's had on so many until Clarence shows him what Bedford Falls would have been like for his friends and family if he had never lived. Though Clarence's influence George comes to realize that he truly has a wonderful life to be thankful for. "It's A Wonderful Life" is a true classic, with powerful emotional impact whether your first viewing or your 50th. Thanks, Frank!

Full of so many memorable lines that are now a part of pop culture:

     "Zuzu's petals" 

     "Attaboy, Clarence" 

     "Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends." 

     "Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings."  

     "A toast to my big brother George: The richest man in town."  

   "You see, George, you've really had a wonderful life. Don't you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away?"

Capra had a gift for building his stories by developing his supporting players. Think of Beulah Bondi as George's mother, Frank Faylen as Ernie the cabbie, Ward Bond as Bert the cop, and Gloria Graham as Violet. There are also many others and they're all memorable. This helps guild a fuller, more engaging story.

Nominated for five Academy Awards, "It's A Wonderful Life" has become an iconic American Christmas classic, although at it's heart it is truly an epic story and not just a holiday tale. Ironically, the film was a flop when it played in theaters in 1946. Of note for being Donna Reed's first starring role. Frank Capra often said this was his favorite film; and James Stewart often cited George Bailey as his favorite character. He's one of my favorites too!