Reel Old Movies

On this date in Hollywood history -- June edition: Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Rosalind Russell, Hazel Scott and more celebrate birthdays, Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. tie the knot, "Cleopatra" with Elizabeth Taylor releases, "Grease" makes its premiere and more! ... Discover what happened on days throughout June in Hollywood history, from historic film premieres and industry milestones to anniversaries of birthdays/deaths of beloved Old Hollywood figures, and more. ( And explore previous months ) This story will be updated throughout the month June 24 Mary Pickford was Hollywood’s first million-dollar star. On June 24, 1916, “America’s Sweetheart” signed a contract for a million dollars over two years, with control over her movies’ productions and half the profits to boot! Three years later, the shrewd businesswoman would co-found United Artists movie company. A few of Pickford’s movies made in that period: “A Romance of the Redwoods” (1917), “The Poor...

One of the original pair of iconic ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" disappeared in 2005. The mystery had been the subject of numerous investigations, documentaries and even a podcast series.  The iconic shoes were recovered in 2018 in an FBI sting, but the mystery remained of who stole the ruby slippers from The Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota and how they got away with it.  Now, some of those answers may be imminent after a 76-year-old man was indicted this week, the first charges in the case. Terry J. Martin was indicted Tuesday with one count of theft of a major artwork, according to U.S. Justice Department officials. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Martin is 76 and lives 12 miles south of the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.  The indictment and news release by the Justice Department do not give details about how the crime was allegedly committed and who and where the shoes were held before the 2018 recovery. They do...

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 th...

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...