Germany in the 20’s and 30’s was a good time for the arts. The German Expressionistic film movement was in full swing with pictures like “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” “Nosferatu,” and the eerie “M,” were the talk of the town. Little did the people of Germany know that a real life drama was unfolding in their midst. How the rise of Hitler gave new life to Hollywood is the topic of PBS’ “Cinema Exiles: From Hitler to...

During World War II the Hollywood crowd supported the US Army and America in its time of need. Some stars like Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, Clark Gable and others enlisted, others helped by raising money. They made the country aware of War Bonds, and encouraged every American to buy them for the sake of the country. TV was not around so these stars promoted War Bonds in theaters nationwide. The theaters had short films and newsreels where...

Today is Election Day eve, and how appropriate to have stumbled upon this article from election2008.usc.edu. The article lists several Hollywood stars and moguls which influenced an election at one time or another. I was a bit surprised about some, but knew of others. My feeling on this is that Hollywood has used their platform and still does to bring out their agenda. And this may have worked back in the day, but I don’t believe it works...

I came across this youtube video of the unforgettable classic, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” (1939) with Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur. I wonder what ever happened to public servants. When did they begin to miss the mark? Corruption has existed in Washington for too long. Just take a look at the financial crisis we are in now? And now the tax payer flips the bill. Last time I checked, congress was supposed to be our voice. Is it...

Before I get into Sarah Palin, let me talk to your about the movie she reminded me of. Politics, (1931) a pre-code movie with Marie Dressler and Polly Moran is a gem and I highly recommend you see it. If you’ve ever seen Dinner at Eight, (1933) Marie Dressler played the very funny role of Carlotta. She appeared in silent films with Charlie Chaplin, and was paired often with Wallace Beery, and with comedian Polly Moran. I love her! I loved...

In celebration of the FBI’s 100th anniversary, TCM will be featuring pre-code movie “G-man,” on Thursday, July 24th with Jimmy Cagney playing the lead G-man who catches crooks. This was a different role for Jimmy. Before this role he played roles on the other side, violent crooks like in “Public Enemy,” (1931). So why were the roles reversed? The Production Code Standards had just been enacted, but the masses still wanted juicy...