1938: Judy Garland in "Love Finds Andy Hardy"

by Nick Taylor

Love Finds Andy Hardy is the fifth of sixteen films made about the life of its titular character, and one of three Andy Hardy films released in 1938. It's also first of threeto feature Judy Garland as Betsy Booth, the shy out-of-towner girl nursing a crush on Andy. This marks the first Andy Hardy movie I’ve seen, and given my severe allergy to Mickey Rooney I might leave it here for now. That being said, my dislike of Rooney pales in comparison to my adoration of Garland's lovely, roseate performance. 

Our story begins in early December. Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) has just learned from his girlfriend Polly Benedict (Ann Rutherford) that she’ll be visiting family for Christmas, meaning she won’t be able to attend the town’s dance. Andy is distraught, but an unexpected opportunity arises when his friend Beezy asks him to date his girlfriend Cynthia (Lana Turner) for a few weeks. He doesn’t want some other guy making the moves on his girl while he’s gone...

Click to read more ...

Comment Party: Against-type casting... pro or con?

by Nathaniel R

Mo: He came slammin' into my shop...
Freddie: Who struck the first blow?
Whitey: The first blow -- what are you kidding? -- there was only one blow. 

Do you enjoy against-type casting? I couldn't stop thinking of this practice while watching Boys Town (1938) the other night to fill in a notable Best Actor gap (Spencer Tracy won the Oscar as do-gooder Father Flanagan who started the titular home for abandoned / delinquent boys). In the film Mickey Rooney's "Whitey" tests Father Flanagan's theory that 'there are no bad boys' and his tough guy shtick feels very over the top especially coming from a teen star who was then best known for boisterous enthusiasm in comedy and song and dance.  But then a funny thing happened. Halfway through the picture, while still bristling against this relentless posturing, it suddenly worked for the movie; OF COURSE Father Flanagan is right and Whitey's tough guy callousness is a performance. This little jerk acts tough but he's actually a softie beneath the sneering.

Do you like watching actors playing the opposite of their typical persona, whether or not they succeed? What's your go to example of this sort of thing.

Soundtracking: "Girl Crazy"

by Chris Feil

The Gershwin musical Girl Crazy was immortalized on screen by Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in 1943, shortly after it arrived on Broadway and brought with it a handful of legendary numbers from the songwriting duo. George and Ira Gershwin are part of the American musical fabric, having crafted a treasure trove of a songbook where the source material has become irrelevant to the legacy of the songs themselves. Indeed, Girl Crazy would later be expanded and reconfigured to make one of the first jukebox musicals Crazy For You.

So even with screen legends like Garland and Rooney, the legendary tracks still only compare to decades of plentiful versions we have heard since. And while neither star (both carrying essentially the entire film’s musical weight) create definitive versions of these Gershwin songs, how could you? Part of the film’s charms from a contemporary perspective is how the musical numbers don’t feel encumbered by having to match a legacy...

Click to read more ...

The 25 Youngest Men Ever Nominated for Best Actor

by Nathaniel R

Timothée Chalamet photographed by Craig McDean for Interview magazine

With the fine coming of age romantic drama Call Me By Your Name now in limited release, audiences can join critics in swooning over the revelatory work of Timothée Chalamet's as the preternaturally sophisticated but hormonally confused Elio. He won the Gotham Awards "Breakthrough" award last night. Should his incredible performance earn him an Academy nomination for Best Leading Actor, he will be the third youngest man to ever receive that honor (he turns 22 the day after Christmas)...

Only Mickey Rooney and Jackie Cooper were younger in their Oscar races and both happened in Oscar's first dozen years (!) when the Academy's habits and fetishes and aversions were still being sorted out. They quickly turned against really young actors. While many women have won Best Actress in their 20s, it's only happened once for a man. The youngest leading male winner is currently Adrien Brody who won his Oscar for The Pianist (2002) just three weeks before he turned 30.

But who are the youngest male leads ever nominated? Read on for the dewiest 25. Tell us how many you've seen and who is your favorite...

YOUNGEST LEAD ACTOR NOMINEES

Click to read more ...

Beauty Break: Happy 90th Birthday to the Grauman's Chinese!

One of my favorite places in Hollywood turned 90 years old today. The Grauman's Chinese Theater, which often houses premieres and events, opened on this day in 1927, so its centennial is just ten years away. It's currently known as the TCL Theater and was called the Mann Theater before that but it's still popularly known as Grauman's. You can rename something as perks for modern corporations but sometimes the original name hangs around (as well as it should). Don't even get me started on beautiful Broadway theaters chucking their iconic stage giant names for "American Airlines Theater" or whatnot. DO NOT GET ME STARTED. 

The Grauman's most familiar pop culture aspect is its large collection of cement tiles out front bearing the handprints of movie stars from all eras. So it's time for a Beauty Break. Which of these ceremonies after the jump do you most wish you had been at? 

Click to read more ...