comfy chair!

This week GET THE COMFY CHAIR! For CAROLE & CO, which, as the name might suggest, and the picture probably gave away come to think of it, is all about Carole Lombard and her times, lavishly illustrated and chock full of news clippings, ephemera, then & now comparisons, and more besides than you could shake a very big stick at. Fabulous blog on a fabulous lady!

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept or origin of comfy chair, please refer to this post and also please hit the “COMFY CHAIR” TAG to see all the past chair occupants; all great because I say so

TCM this week:

Letter From an Unknown Woman on Monday, beautiful movie not to be missed

Ziegfeld Girl on Wednesday, which is like glossy MGM musical melodrama comfort food with a box of chocolates cast: Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Jimmy Stewart, Hedy Lamarr, Jackie Cooper, Tony Martin…

But I want to look way ahead and draw your attention to a very cool spotlight on a very cool multitalented man and one of my favorite people, Jack Webb on Sunday, with two movies he directed and stars in. The D.I. (The Drill Instructor), a realistic look at a tough as nails drill sergeant (on par with R. Lee Ermey) and the Marine Corps boot camp training he dishes out. The buzzcut he got in this movie he kept with slight variation thereafter, such was the impression of the role and no doubt the experience of working with actual marines in the movie—semper fi! –the Corps approved of the film and still military of all stripes say they were inspired by and greatly respect the picture.

The second movie of the evening that’s directed by Webb is 30 (aka Deadline Midnight) about a newspaper editor on (to borrow from snoopy) a “dark and stormy night” where some juicy stories are competing for their spots above the fold on the front page, while offering inside looks at how the paper’s put together, a wound up William Conrad, how a woman fit into a 1950s newsroom and how Webb deals with a personal issue. Look for Whitney Blake, frequent guest on TV through those years and also Meredith Baxter’s mother.

Feel free to leave your pick(s) for the week because I say so

 and now, from the SITE NEWS desk…

look at what you’re missing by not regularly checking out the SPEAKEASY tumblr, LOOK, will you?! 

if you can resist clicking that pic of Uncle Charlie to see what fascinating pics, animations and so forth await you and appear daily at my carefully cultivated Tumblr, well, I admire your restraint. also I pity you quite a bit, and don’t really think we can be friends. 

and, over in the G+ room, there was much clinking of glasses and flowing of the spirits this week, what with everything from Cassini to Hand Jive to Hitchcock, Sherlock, Zenda, Milland, funny newsy and serious stuff. Lucky for you all those links, though I update them pretty much every day, are all lined up for you to catch up on, just visit the Google+ page

AND I finally got my saluting typist up there for my blavatar which to me is a big deal and worth a mention and I totally made you look! my work here is done for today :)

SPEAKEASY on tumblr. facebook. google+ subscribe button at bottom & tweettweet