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Jean Arthur
“Never have I seen a performer plagued with such a chronic case of stage jitters. I’m sure she vomited before and after every scene. When...
Mar 152 min read
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Shirley Temple
In the 1930s, two of the most powerful antidotes to the Great Depression were a race horse named Seabiscuit and a little girl named...
Nov 1, 20243 min read
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Fred Zinnemann
I once got an email from an 88-year-old man named George, praising an essay I’d written for The Washington Post . Coincidentally, I had...
Sep 14, 20243 min read
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The "Perfect" Couple
They called her “The Perfect Wife.” Best known for playing William Powell’s partner in crime-busting in the classic Thin Man movies,...
Oct 15, 20232 min read
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Noir Star Dana Andrews
“Always understated and all too underrated.” That’s how writer David Stenn describes Dana Andrews. Film historian Jeanine Basinger...
Mar 15, 20233 min read
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Films of 1952: High Noon
They say High Noon is popular with presidents: Reportedly, it was the favorite movie of Ronald Reagan, G.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, who...
Jul 31, 20223 min read
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