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Vintage Movies

         I'm getting my share of old movies this summer.I saw Katherine Hepburn in Alice Adams tonight. I vaguely recall seeing it a long time ago. Somehow, these old movies seem more meaningful now. Once you learn to appreciate the evolution of movie making and the careers of these actors their work just seems more significant. I looked at this 1935 movie and saw the beautiful young face of Hepburn. I don't think I ever understood how attractive she was in her youth. She played the ups and downs of this character, so that even her voice changed with her moods.

         I have to mention Fred MacMurray in this movie. He didn't have a strong leading role. He just had to look handsome and appear to be in love. I've seen him play a bad guy, too, but I mostly think of him in Disney movies or as the father of My Three Sons.

         The other night I watched The Little Foxes. I sort of fixated on Bette Davis who played the mother of a grown daughter. She was attractive, but not sexy. I watched for the famous eyes, but the role she was playing was so cold and controlled, they didn't have a lot of expression. In fact, it was hard to feel any sympathy for anyone in the movie. The story was intriguing. Lillian Hellman did the screenplay as well as the stage play, so the great lines, including scripture were there. I looked up the play, and I found it was inspired by the old system of leaving the inheritance only to the sons. Austen wrote about that, too, but in the old country, not the South.

         I didn't realize I watched so much TV until the summer schedule started, and I found myself with such little selection. At least I can brush up on the vintage stuff.