By Craig Leask Many may not know this, but the play The Philadelphia Story (and it’s subsequent film adapation in 1940 and musical remake entitled High Society in 1956) was inspired by the true-life Helen Hope Montgomery Scott (1904–1995), a Philadelphia socialite known for her mischievousness shenanigans and high-spirited flirtations. She was the daughter of…
By Craig Leask As mentioned in my article on Famous Television Cars a vehicle in movies, when properly used and presented, can be iconic and an integral component of the main character’s persona. Often great lengths are taken by a production team to research and identify the perfect car for their film, and when done…
By Craig Leask In movies and in television, few techniques have been used to easily define the character of an individual better than the car the lead actor drives. Beginning predominantly in the 1960’s, cars were incorporated into various television series as an identifier of the character(s) uniqueness, social class or conventionality, rather than as…
By Craig Leask There are certain things that every James Bond film needs to be a hit: iconic theme songs; outlandish gadgets used to escape tight situations; sexy, scantily clad women to entice the hero; shockingly silly one liners; and of course, beautiful cars. Back in the 1960’s, when the world was much smaller, James…
By Craig Leask Everyone knows the story. The British passenger liner R.M.S. Titanic, promoted as “unsinkable”, struck an iceberg and sank in the Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City in the early hours of April 15, 1912. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500…
By Craig Leask This is the second part to my piece on The Big Apple in The Movies. To read part 1, click here. Ghostbusters (1984) Ghostbusters was released in 1984, grossing $238 million in the US and $291 million worldwide. The success of the film launched a media franchise, which included action figures, a…
By Craig Leask This is the second in a series of articles on great cities in the movies. This one focuses on movies filmed in and showcasing The Big Apple – New York City – famous for its diverse neighbourhoods, the Great White Way, delis, Central Park, and New Year’s Eve celebrations. Due to the…
By Craig Leask This is the first of a planned series of articles on great cities in the movies. This one will focus on The City by The Bay, San Francisco. San Francisco is one of those cities which has been immortalized throughout the years: in song – Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in…
By Craig Leask We’re all going to be looking at movies where we can link back to Valentine’s Day. To do that I had to step back and run through a mental inventory of all of the Romcoms, Chick Flicks and After School Specials I have ever seen in my small vision of what makes…
By Craig Leask As mentioned in Mid-Century Modern – Part 1, Mid-Century Modern (MCM) is an architectural design and decorating style based upon clean lines, clear expanses of glass, open sight lines, a blurring of interior and exterior spaces and a complete lack of clutter. MCM was in its prime, from the mid-1940’s to the mid -1970’s…