Mary Pickford was once known by movie fans as "the little girl with the curls." While she did branch out into other types of roles, by far her most popular film were when she played these spunky little girl characters. She was so associated with these roles that she continued playing them into her 30's. Though today, we automatically look at her in these roles and think she was too old to play them, she does still bring a real charm to every character she played.
The following is a 1924 article from Screenland magazine that talks about Mary's childhood. If you have trouble reading the below pages, click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here. Sorry about the quality of the left side of the first page.
Some of Mary's earliest films are those for director D.W. Griffith.
One of my favorites of Mary's "little girl with the curls" films is Little Annie Rooney (1925).
While Superman and Batman had blockbuster movies before X-Men was released, the average person was already very familiar with these characters by the time, their movies hit the big screen. Though X-Men had been a top selling comic book (and a popular Saturday morning cartoon show), the thought that average moviegoers might be unfamiliar with these characters gave great hesitancy to the studio executives. After all most of these studio executives knew little about either the comics or the animated TV series. Though Fox received the film rights in the 1990's, the studio executives still nervously sat on the property (while in hindsight it is easy to make fun of these executives, with most superhero movies that didn't feature Batman or Superman having been critical and commercial failures, their position is understandable). The fact that this movie even got made was heavily thanks to a woman named, Lauren Shuler Donner. She had become a producer at Fox in 1994. She was well aware of the comic books and the cartoon series and felt there was great potential for a blockbuster with these characters. She was also aware that Marvel Comics had filed for bankruptcy. Lauren would spend the rest of the 1990's trying to get an X-Men film off the ground. She approached such top Hollywood filmmakers as James Cameron, Michael Chabon, and Joss Whedon. Ideas for the drafts and outlines from these filmmakers would find their way into the final script, though the screenplay would be end up being solely credited to David Hayter. (Hayter would later be a writer for two more superhero films, X2: X-Men United (2003) and Watchmen (2009)). However the directing job had instead gone to Bryan Singer, who was fresh off his critical and commercial success, The Usual Suspects (1995). Another early decision to separate this from previous superhero films was to cast classically trained actors in two of the most important roles. Therefore, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen would be cast as Charles Xavier and Magneto. This would hopefully lend an air of respectability for those who might normally overlook a superhero movie.
The movie finally went into production in the late fall of 1999 with an expected release of Christmastime 2000. Still the studio heads at Fox were still nervous about this film. They cut the budget down to $75 million, a low budget for a special-effects heavy blockbuster, even 25 years ago. This meant that the filmmakers had to remove some of the more special effects heavy characters such as Beast. This was not the only production trouble. The original actor cast as Wolverine; Dougray Scott had to be replaced when there was scheduling conflicts due to the shooting of Mission: Impossible 2 (2000). He was replaced by Hugh Jackman, an unknown actor at the time. This would turn out to work for the best though as Jackman would become the film's breakout star.
This movie eschews the type of lighthearted campy storytelling that many associated with superhero stories at this time from the very start. This film opens with a scene centering on Magneto as a child being led to a concentration camp during the holocaust. When the movie first transitions to modern day, we see a teenage Rouge (Anna Paquin) accidently nearly kill her boyfriend with her powers. These two scenes immediately tell us that what we are about to watch will not talk down to us and will not be either campy or silly. As the film continues it tells us the story of two mutants (the next step in human evolution, meta-humans with superpowers) named Wolverine and Rouge. The two find themselves at The Charles Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. This is a school that helps mutants learn how control their powers. Some of the graduates have become what are known as X-Men, a group of mutants that help protect human and meta-human alike. Meanwhile humans discriminate against mutants, feeling that they are danger to mankind. Magento is tired of this discrimination and decides to lead a group of mutants to destroy humankind. The X-Men must stop Magento and his Brotherhood of Mutants.
This is a strong start to this series of movies. What makes this film work so well is Rouge and Wolverine. These two are truly the heart of this movie. They are the ones that we connect to and being newcomers to the world of the X-Men, we see things through their eyes. The last part is especially true of Wolverine. His skepticism and how he initially writes off everything about Xavier's school as silly, keeps the movie feeling grounded while not eschewing comic book fantasy. Rouge is simply a heartbreaking figure, and it is hard not to feel for her. That she can kill anyone who even touches her makes her feel more like a threat than a hero. This type of self-doubt and feeling like you don't belong is something we all can relate to and understand. The friendship between these two characters is very heartwarming. This film also benefits from having a fantastic cast. Not only are the actors who portray these two characters excellent but everyone in the cast is perfect. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen do exactly what they were brought into do and help us take this superhero story seriously. Though they don't get as much to do James Marsden and Famke Janssen bring a certain likability to Cyclops and Jean Grey. And of course, Halle Berry is the definition of cool as Storm. This movie also does a wonderful job of digging into the deeper themes of discrimination and how people find ways to try and justify their hatred. The messaging may not be subtle, but it is effective with some quite intelligent dialogue.
As much as I enjoy this movie, I do have to admit that the smaller budget really hurts the film. The special effects often look very fake, and this frankly takes you out of the movie.
Director, Bryan Singer is an openly homosexual filmmaker. Because of this many having viewed his take on mutants to be a commentary on the discrimination that homosexuals receive, especially with lines about them reveling or hiding who they truly are. This interpretation is not unfounded. Since the comics of the 1960's the X-Men have been a representation of marginalized groups. It is understandable that Singer might connect with this and draw from the discrimination he received due to his sexual orientation.
The movie grossed $157 million domestic and received mostly positive reviews from critics. The film was a surprise breakout hit and would spawn an incredibly successful movie franchise.
Resources Used
Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero by Larry Tye.
This movie has a very intriguing premise. It is about a meeting between school personnel and parents after one elementary school student is said to have sexually assaulted another. Yet it soon becomes obvious that there is something not right with this story. This story is simply a great and well written one that is immediately engaging. I became immediately invested and wanted to find out what the real truth was. The more information this film gives us, the more invested I became. The twists and turns in this story were smart and believable. All of this was of course helped by a great cast lead by Renate Reinsve, best known for her wonderful performance in The Worst Person in the World (2021). Her performance here is equally as great if not better. She brings a real humanity to this story that makes it hard not to care about her character.
Where this movie doesn't work as well is the surreal direction it takes at time. This movie tries to show the emotional state of our main character with surreal imagery, bizarre dance scenes and distortion of the soundtrack. Honestly this does not work at all. Such stylistic experiments should enhance the story and characters instead of distracting from them. This is not the case here. These scenes are poorly handled, often coming off as pretentious and heavy handed. They add nothing to the story and tell us nothing about the characters that we couldn't figure out from the more straightforward scenes. While this is still a very good movie, these scenes keep it from being the masterpiece it should have been.
This marks the feature film debut for director/writer Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel. Tøndel is the grandson of the great Swedish director Ingmar Bergman (one of my all-time favorite filmmakers) and the brilliant actress Liv Ullman. While this may not reach the heights of the best films from his grandparents it is still a good movie that is hopefully the start of a promising career.
This is well-done fantasy entertainment for the whole family. Like the best fantasy movies, where this film works best is the world building. This film does a great job making the world it takes place in feel completely real to us. There is great detail and thought put into how this world works. The characters themselves may not be complex, but they are believable and engaging. The heroes are quite likable, even if flawed. And the villain feels like a massive threat. Because of this the emotional scenes here work quite well and there is a sense of suspense through much of the film. The action scenes here are fantastic featuring great animation, timing and a bit of suspense.
Like many modern animated movies, this film often tries to squeeze in as many jokes as possible. Because of this the humor can often be hit or miss. There are some funny moments here and there but there are also plenty of comedic moments that fall completely flat.
The main flaw with this movie is the length. This story could easily be told in an hour and a half, but this film is nearly two and a half hours. The climax can really drag on too long at times.
Despite some flaws, this is a really fun movie for the whole family.
This film tells the story of a young woman, who is having trouble moving from the death of her army buddy. She says her friend everywhere she goes and even talk to and interacts with her. I find it hard to believe that this movie will fail to pull on anyone's heartstrings. In lesser hands a film like this could come off as emotionally manipulated. However, this movie is so extremely honest and sincere that it is hard not to be moved. Director and co-writer Kyle Hausmann-Stokes is a veteran who has based this movie on his comrades who have passed on. With this film, he lays his emotions completely on the line and allows himself to be very vulnerable and personal. To be this open and honest with your first feature film, couldn't have been easy and perhaps that only adds to the emotional effectiveness. Sonequa Martin-Green and Natalie Morales' performances also help make this story feel incredibly real to us. Having a supporting cast that includes Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman doesn't hurt either. As emotional as this story gets the filmmakers balance the serious themes with a sense of dark humor. This humor is not only often quite funny, but it is always in the service of the story and characters. Because of this it never distracts from the raw emotion but adds to it.
Though there are a few predictable plot points here, there are also some twists that you don't see coming. Yet these twists make perfect sense in the story and are very intelligent and heartfelt.
Since this blog has been taking a look at the Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties, I felt that it is only right to have a post that is simply a collection of their films.
I am a huge fan of silent film comedian Harry Langdon. So let's start off this post with two short films featuring both Harry and the Bathing Beauties.
Mabel Normand and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle take center stage in short, Mabel's New Hero (1913). This short film would later be rereleased under the title, Fatty and the Bathing Beauties. As well as the Bathing Beauties, this film also features the Keystone Kops.
The Bathing Beauties found themselves in more comedies than just those that took place at the beach. The Ben Turpin comedy, A Harem Knight (1926) features our hero saving a harem girl. The harem naturally consists of the Bathing Beauties and a pool for them to swim in. Here are the scenes from that picture that involving the Bathing Beauties looking as beautiful as always.
Now for a short film featuring Louise Fazenda, Ford Sterling, Phillis Haver and of course the Bathing Beauties, Hearts and Flowers (1919).
Let us end this post with a video showing the Bathing Beauties at their sexiest. No drooling gentlemen.
Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Near to the Heart of God. This hymn was written by Cleland McAfee, a pastor and choir leader at the Presbyterian Church at Park College in Parkville, Mo. This song came about after his two infant nieces passed away from diphtheria. His daughter recounted in her book, Near to the Heart of God, “The family and town were stricken with grief. My father often told us how he sat long and late thinking of what could be said in word and song on the coming Sunday.... So he wrote the little song. The choir learned it at the regular Saturday night rehearsal, and afterward they went to Howard McAfee’s home and sang it as they stood under the sky outside the darkened, quarantined house. It was sung again on Sunday morning at the communion service.... The hymn was first included in The Choir Leader, October, 1903.”
Afterwards is Vernon Delhart with his 1928 recording of Ring Dem Bells.
Next comes one of the most popular country gospel songs performed by the man who wrote it. The song is I Saw the Light and the singer and songwriter was Hank Williams. Hank wrote this song as he was heading home from a dance in Fort Deposit, Alabama. His mother was driving him home and told her son "Hank, wake up, we're nearly home. I just saw the light" (she was referring to the light near Dannelly Field Airport). Hank wrote the song on the rest of the way home. The song melody-wise strongly resembles Albert E. Brumley's He Set Me Free, but I Saw the Light has certainly taken on a life of its own apart from the earlier song, heavily through the powerful and inspiring lyrics that do what Hank did best as a songwriter, convey something powerful and moving in a way that seems so simple and unpretentious. Hank recorded this song on his first MGM recording session (April 21, 1947). However, even though he was the first to record this song, his version was not the first released. Producer Fred Rose gave it to two other singers (Clyde Grubbs and Roy Acuff), both of whom had their versions released before Hank.
Up next is Chris Tomlin, Russell Dickerson and Florida Georgia Line with Sing. This comes from Chris Tomlin's 2020 album, Chris Tomlin and Friends. This album featured the Christian singer performing various songs with popular country singers.
It is hard to believe that a song like The Man Comes Around was so late in Johnny Cash's career. Most of the time singer/songwriters don't release and certainly don't write their best music in their sixth decade, but as all music fans know Johnny was one of the rare artists with such a long career, who left this world at the top of his game musically. At this time John was on fire for the lord. No longer was he the wild crazy man he had been in the 1950's and 60's, instead by this time he had become a true man of God and wanted to do all he could for the lord before he passed away. He knew he had wasted too much of his life being controlled by sin and finally wanted to be a servant to God instead of to his own fleshly desires. At this time, he was also seeing a musically resurgence, where he was more popular than ever, and young audiences were embracing his new music just as much as they did any younger artist of their generation. What he wanted to do was to create a modern-day gospel song that would speak directly to this younger audience and The Man Comes Around more than fit that bill. Because this song was so near and dear to him, he spent more time writing it than any other song he had composed. In his book, Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon, Pastor Greg Laurie wrote "Personally I think it is the strongest song Johnny ever wrote. It is both biblical and personal, powerful and poetic."
Now for a song that perfectly represents everything cowboy gospel music should be. So, enjoy Rex Allen singing The Range in the Sky.
Today's musical selection ends with the Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of The Touch of God's Hand. This song was written by one of the group's founding members, Bob Nolan. As is true of many of Bob's best songs, the lyrics here bring very beautiful and vivid images to one's mind. Though he often times doesn't get credit for it, Bob Nolan was one of country music's greatest poets. The group recorded this song on December 16, 1937. It features Bob Nolan on lead vocals, Lloyd Perryman and Karl Farr on guitar, Sam Koki on steel guitar, Pat Brady on Bass and Hugh Farr on fiddle. This recording was made shortly after Roy Rogers left the group for a solo movie career.
Now for a sermon from Martin Luther King Jr.
Up next is Roy Rogers appearing on Letterman on June 22, 1983.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. Psalm 119:50
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:26-28
Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. Isaiah 49:13
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again.
