I love classic movies.
But what would I consider a classic movie? Especially since most of my favorite movies from the 80’s would now be considered “classics.”
Damn, am I old…
For me, basically it’s any movie that was produced or released prior to 1970.
My love for classic movies, came from several sources. But the primary one, was my Grandma Lamm.
My Grandma LOVED going to the movies. During her childhood, silent films were all the rage. By the time she was in her early 20’s, movies like The Philadelphia Story, Gone With the Wind, and You Can’t Take it With You were huge influences on her – especially It Happened One Night. She loved musicals, romances, Film Noirs, it didn’t matter.
By the time I got to high school, I was a full-blown classic movie fan. During the summers I would visit her little apartment, and we would talk about our favorite movies. She always told me she felt like Jimmy Stewart was her brother, Katharine Hepburn was her best friend, and Cary Grant was her boyfriend. One of the last times I saw her, she gave me several VHS movies out of her collection, including her copy of one of our mutually favorite movies - An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. It is still one of my prized possessions.
My Grandma’s appreciation of the movies was passed down to my dad. He would regularly take us to the movies if he saw one he particularly liked. During the late 70’s and early 80’s George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were coming into their own, and a lot of their movies had an old fashioned, radio serial quality to them – Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark. My dad relished these as they reminded him of his childhood, listening to the radio.
Funny enough, he well remembered the movies my Grandma took him to. When I was in my 20’s, my dad was sweet enough to drive down to Southern CA with me (since he knew how anxious I would get making the 8-hour drive alone). Right after we got onto Interstate 5, I pulled out a CD I had bought of the soundtrack from the 1956 movie High Society. When I tried explaining the movie to him, he stopped me and said, “High Society? Of course, I know that movie! Your grandma dragged me to it when it was in the movie theatres!”
Of course she did…
As a child, I would spend my weekends watching classic cartoons on KTLA – Channel 5 in Los Angeles. When the cartoons were over, the next program was Family Film Festival, hosted by Tom Hatten.
That program introduced me to Jerry Lewis comedy films which then springboarded to musicals. By the time I was in high school, I loved watching the same films my grandma did as well as discovering movies by Alfred Hitchcock – a few years after I found The Twilight Zone.
I became a huge fan of actors/actresses who many teens my age had no clue of – Loretta Young, Ray Milland, Alan Ladd, Claudette Colbert. But one of my absolute favorite actresses was Thelma Ritter.
So why Thelma Ritter?
She was never a “leading lady.” She rarely was on the movie posters of the films she acted in, until she was pretty far along in her career.
Thelma was the every woman of her time. The epitome of the words “character actor” she was always in the background as the confidante, the maid, the physical therapist, the harried shopper. A couple of rare times, the roles she played were elevated to mother of the main character. Even though she trained at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she was the working-class woman with the strong Brooklyn accent who made an impression on every professional she worked with.
But she does not have star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
So Thelma Ritter is my Spirit Animal.
Why do I identify so strongly with Ms. Ritter?
Although she tried to start her career in the theatre during her youth, rather than let her slow start hold her back or discourage her, she decided instead to focus her time raising her two children. Once her children were grown, she knew she had the time and ability to throw herself into her craft.
And boy, did she!
Her film career did not start until she was 45 years old and her first three appearances – Miracle on 34th Street, Call Northside 777 and A Letter to Three Wives – were all uncredited.
But within three years after those appearances, she received the first of her six Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Four of those were over consecutive years from 1951-54. She was also nominated for three Golden Globes, and a Primetime Emmy. Unfortunately, she never won. In 1958 she FINALLY won a Tony Award in a rare tie with her colleague Gwen Vernon for the same play!
Here is an example of her work on All About Eve, for which she got her first nomination –
I wondered in my last post about my journey as an aspiring children’s book author - even though my journey has been long, with some occasional successes, why have I not received a publishing contract so far, even though I’m in my early 50’s?
Truthfully, the answer is as loaded as a baked potato.
And honestly, I’ve tried hard not to focus on the reasons why. Because when it comes right down to it, every writer – like every actor – goes through a different process, has different experiences that either help or hinder their journey. No two paths are the same.
Even as I’m writing this, the song Come Dance With Me by Frank Sinatra is playing…reminding me of the months I spent sitting in my local Starbucks 15 years ago writing and revising one of my young adult novels – one that I still need to finish working on.
And it will get done. In my own time.
So tonight, I’m going to watch one of my favorite Thelma Ritter movies – Rear Window – and remind myself I’m not done yet.
Not by a long shot…