The Spencer Tracy – Katharine Hepburn Romance – PT2.

December 13, 2017 Alan Royle 2

Actor George O’Brien was Spencer Tracy’s friend, but even he was disgusted with his pal’s treatment of Kate Hepburn. She would help get him to his hotel room, bathe him, cook dinner for him and get him into his pajamas. ‘Sometimes the ungrateful bastard would kick her out of his […]

SNIPPETS – PT2.

November 17, 2017 Alan Royle 0

Kate and Barrymore in A Bill of Divorcement (1932) Kate Hepburn made her movie debut in the 1932 drama A Bill of Divorcement, in which the aging John Barrymore played her mentally unbalanced father. Known as ‘The Great Profile’, he invited her to his dressing-room where he promptly stripped naked […]

Darwin Porter – Believe him or not? PT 3

October 28, 2017 Alan Royle 4

The third and final segment regarding ‘Katharine the Great’, the controversial Darwin Porter biography of Katherine Hepburn. Eleanor Roosevelt *Eleanor Roosevelt had a heavy crush on Kate although it was not reciprocated. In the early 1940s the First Lady wrote her many passionate letters, but it was a one-way love […]

Darwin Porter – Believe him or not? PT 1.

October 24, 2017 Alan Royle 0

Darwin Porter is a prolific writer, a man who has been an entertainment columnist for The Miami Herald since he was 20 years old. He has written and sold more celebrity biographies than anyone else, yet he has his ‘knockers’, people who think he is little more than a sensationalist […]

SNAPSHOTS Vol 2

September 12, 2017 Alan Royle 0

CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS (1937)                                   I have watched Captains Courageous only twice because, frankly, I cannot abide Spencer Tracy’s portrayal of the Portuguese fisherman Manuel. In fact, I only watched it the second time because of Freddie Bartholomew’s superb performance and to see Lionel Barrymore ‘box his ears’ better than anyone has ever done […]

The Hollywood Canteen – a unique experience.

August 13, 2017 Alan Royle 6

  Between 1941 and 1944 over 6,000 Hollywood workers entered the services, 1,500 of whom were registered actors and actresses. The ‘Hollywood Unit’ made training and recruitment films (and newsreels). One recruitment film starring Jimmy Stewart was said to have been responsible for 100,000 men joining the air force. Hundreds […]

The many loves of Ingrid Bergman.

August 5, 2017 Alan Royle 32

  INGRID BERGMAN (1915 – 82)                   Most fans are genuinely surprised to find that many of the screen’s biggest movie stars are diminutive in stature. It probably has a lot to do with cinema-goers seeing their idols enlarged on theatre screens, […]

The Romances of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco.

June 24, 2017 Alan Royle 40

    The stunning American actress Grace Kelly only made eleven movies in her brief but spectacular career. By most accounts she made hay with most of her leading men while the sun shone. But not all of them. Her supporters argue that she was basically seeking a father substitute […]

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Casting Blunders Pt 1.

April 19, 2017 Alan Royle 0

I often watch movies over and over again, just for the pleasure of re-visiting an extraordinary performance. Occasionally, as for instance with Double Indemnity (1944), it is not only an individual performance, but a combination of strong acting from more than one player, a fabulous script, seamless directing, and a […]