Reel Old Movies

Someone with a spare $26,000 bought a piece of pivotal movie history, after an original copy of the 1927's "The Jazz Singer" script sold at auction this weekend. 

On this date in Hollywood history -- April edition: Charlie Chaplin was born, Harold Lloyd's "Safety Last!" premieres, a bevy of classic movie stars' birthdays including Doris Day, Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Spencer Tracy and more! ...

Watching old movies is a bit like archaeology: you can study human history via the artifacts, language and sets used at the time. 1923’s “The Ten Commandments” offers a few things to unearth, both on the screen and beneath the sands of a small town in California. 

Harold Lloyd's "Safety Last!" premiered April 1, 1923, and is still entertaining comedy and movie fans 100 years later.  To mark the centennial, watch the 70-minute full "Safety Last!" movie , especially the iconic clock tower climbing scene at the end. Those scenes and images are some of the most well-known of early cinema and silent movie history.  And check out even more full movies from Harold Lloyd on YouTube

Gloria Swanson, one of Hollywood's most popular and bankable stars of the early Golden Age of movies, talks to TV journalist Mike Wallace in 1957 about why she is not making films, sex appeal, Hollywood in the 1920s, marriage, plastic surgery and more.

"The Covered Wagon" is not as well known today as some classic movies, but the silent movie is considered the first big budget epic Western, or as Variety said at its 1923 release: "It is the biggest thing since Griffith made 'The Birth of a Nation.'" The movie was one of the era's top box office hits, premiering in New York on March 16, 1923. Even Warren G. Harding, president at the time, screened it at the White House and sent an endorsement. It was also ground-breaking in the ambitious scale in its production of the tale of the pioneers heading West across the United States in the 1840s.  The plot of "The Covered Wagon" covers ground that will be well-trod in later Westerns: A wagon train sets out in 1848 for Oregon territory and encounters treacherous river crossings, internal power struggles, prairie fires, Indian attacks, an action-packed buffalo hunt, gold fever and more.  J. Warren Kerrigan and Lois Wilson J. Warren Kerrigan plays Will,...

Tinseltown celebrates movies at the 2023 Academy Awards on March 12, and if you can't get enough movie magic, consider a few more from the Golden Age of Hollywood.  Whether you want to pair up past and present for a double feature at home or are just looking for recommendations similar to your favorites, here are a few movie classic suggestions based on this year's Best Picture nominees.  What else would you suggest? Share with @ReelOldMovies on Instagram 2023 Best Picture nominee: "Top Gun: Maverick" Classic movie you might like: 1927's "Wings" The first Academy Award winner for best picture, “Wings” is the extravagant World War I production that is part drama, part comedy, part romance. This silent film from almost 100 years ago also features aerial dogfights, male bonding and a sassy and sexy leading lady.  2023 Best Picture nominee: "The Banshees of Inisherin"  Classic movie you might like: 1941's "How Green Was My Valley" Fr...

The 2023 Academy Awards are Sunday, March 12, but the first decades of Oscar honors were fertile ground for history-making movies.  Take a look at a few of the best, some of the firsts and a couple of the mosts when it comes to the Academy Awards' golden statuette and the Golden Age of Hollywood.  The first best picture nominees The first Academy Awards took place in 1929, honoring movies made from mid-1927 to 1928.  It was also the only year that two categories for "best" picture were included: One was for "Unique and Artistic Picture" and the other for "Outstanding Picture." The Artistic Picture category was dropped the following year, and the Outstanding Picture would evolve into the Best Picture category today. The movies nominated in each of the categories included: Outstanding Picture: "Wings" ** Won "The Racket" "7th Heaven" Unique and Artistic Picture: "Sunrise"  ** Won ( Watch for free ) "Chang...

On this date in Hollywood history -- March: Jean Harlow's birthday, Cyd Charisse's birthday, "The Covered Wagon" premiered, Steve McQueen's birthday ...  Discover what happened on days throughout March in Hollywood history, from historic film premieres and industry milestones to anniversaries of birthdays/deaths of beloved Old Hollywood figures, and more. (This story will be updated throughout the month)  March 3 The "Blonde Bombshell" Jean Harlow was born March 3, 1911, and was one of the legendary leading ladies of Old Hollywood. She rose to fame with 1930's "Hell's Angels" and would go on to star in two dozen movies before her untimely death just seven years later. Her biggest hits included "Platinum Blonde" (1931), "Red-Headed Woman" (1932), "Dinner at Eight" (1933), "Wife vs. Secretary" (1936) and "Libeled Lady" (1936). "Red Dust," made in 1932, featured Harlow at her most...

Ten minutes of lost footage is now restored to the Lon Chaney classic silent horror movie, “The Unknown” (1927), and the new print is screening for audiences for the first time in the United States.