Reel Old Movies

It’s football championship season in the U.S., but classic movie lovers have football films all year long.  In classic movie land, football has been a favorite plot line for decades. Like the sport itself, football movies flourished in the 1920s and 1930s. As this list of football movies from Wikipedia shows , tried-and-true storylines keep getting repeated up to the present day: prison game matchups, nerd-becomes-hero, comeback from injury, the cost of winning and more.  Most lists concentrate on more modern movies, so we’ve rounded up a few pre-1960 football flicks that we’ve enjoyed.  So whether you’re looking for an alternative to the football talk or you just can’t get enough, here are a few choices that are touchdowns for classic movie lovers: The Freshman (1925) One of the biggest hits of comedian Harold Lloyd’s career, “The Freshman” follows Lloyd’s character as he attempts to be popular on a college campus, including participating in a slapstick football game that includes se

Now available!  "101 Classic Movie Trivia Questions" -- order your ebook or paperback at Amazon  You may love classic movies, but how much do you really know? This collection of 101 trivia questions (and answers!) puts your knowledge to the test.  Who dated who in Old Hollywood? What movies set records at awards shows and at the box office? Who made silver screen history? From Charlie Chaplin to “Citizen Kane,” from sci-fi firsts to iconic final films, from “The Jazz Singer” to “The Quiet Man” – the questions pull from a range of classic movie history, from easy tidbits about the most famous films to more deep dives into hidden gems that only true classic connoisseurs may know.  Generally, the questions span movies and stars from early cinema to the 1960s, with emphasis on the Golden Age of Hollywood (roughly the 1930s and 1940s).  The topics covered include: Historic firsts Award winners Early days of cinema Famous quotes Scandals Romantic entanglements in real Hollywood And

The 2022 movie “Babylon” dives into the transition from silent to talkies in Hollywood with an ensemble cast that includes Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Jean Smart and Diego Calva.  But “Babylon” isn’t the first movie to be set among the glittery world of showbiz or portray a cinematic past. The movie industry has a storied history in putting itself – or at least a made-for-Hollywood version of itself – up on the big screen.  While there are numerous modern movies as well, let's look at these Old Hollywood classics that took audiences inside movie magic: Singin' in the Rain (1952) The plot of "Babylon" mines similar territory as "Singin' in the Rain" – the 1952 musical looks back at the transition to talkies 25 years before. Gene Kelly is Don Lockwood, the silent screen star who is making the leap to sound with comedic and musical help from Debbie Reynolds' Kathy (an aspiring actress) and Donald O'Connor's Cosmo. The scene stealer is Jean Hage

"Gaslighting" is Merriam-Webster’s word of 2022. 

“Here’s looking at you, kid.” “We’ll always have Paris.” “Out of all the gin joints …” “Round up the usual suspects.” While today’s movies would be lucky to have one or two memorable quotes that permeate pop culture, 1942’s “Casablanca” is bursting with dozens of great lines that are woven into our language. I will argue it's the most quoted movie of all time – with many people ignorant that they’re actually quoting the movie! Not bad for a movie marking its 80th anniversary.  “Casablanca” is a staple for classic film buffs, but I encourage any Old Hollywood novice or fan of modern movies to watch for the first time. (Or if it’s been a while since you’ve seen it, re-discover it).  Don’t let the fact that it’s in black and white and decades-old deter you. The star power of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman will certainly pull you in, but the allure of “Casablanca” is also rooted in its screenplay, a masterclass of a movie script.  Which goes to show us there is no formula or one-w

Now Available!“It’s a Wonderful Life” is part of many families’ holiday traditions, but the 1946 Frank Capra movie starring James Stewart offers inspiration all year long. Order a paperback or download the ebook to “It’s a Wonderful Life: Quotes & Inspiration” – a collection of the best quotes, excerpts, scenes from the movie, posters and other material in a small volume, perfect for holiday gift-giving.

Angela Lansbury, everybody's favorite TV detective and star of an eclectic body of stage and film work, died Tuesday, October 11, 2022 , just shy of her 97th birthday.   Her long career began in the movies when the "Murder, She Wrote" actress was a teenager. She was just 17 when she got the role of sharp-tongued Cockney maid Nancy in 1944's "Gaslight."

Holy Batman Day! Saturday, September 17 is National Batman Day with special events, movie theater screenings, giveaways and more. But before Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck, George Clooney and yes, Adam West, there was … Lewis Wilson in 1943.

The actress who played George Bailey’s sister-in-law in the classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” died August 18, 2022.