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BEGUILING HOLLYWOOD

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“Get up there with that lady that’s up on top of this Capitol dome, that lady that stands for liberty…” Vote!

November 7, 2017 by Vickie Lester

How I learn from the movies… On November 8th, 2016 I got to the polls early and cast my vote. By ten o’clock PST while watching the news, the political world as I knew it had begun to tilt off its axis. A blatantly racist, sexually inappropriate, ignorant, angry, immoral, avaricious man, with no knowledge of our Constitution, or respect for American norms, had bullied and brayed and babbled his way into the highest office in the land (aided by […]

Categories: Art, Culture, Design, fashion, Film, History, Hollywood, Memoir, Movies, Photography, Politics, Uncategorized • Tags: faith without works is dead, Frank Capra, Jimmy Stewart, MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON

“There is one word that aptly describes Hollywood – ‘nervous.’ ” Frank Capra

July 2, 2015 by Vickie Lester

What gives Hollywood the willies? Click here.

Categories: Advertising, Books, Entertainment, fashion, Fiction, Film, History, Hollywood, Literature, Los Angeles, Movies, Mystery, Photography, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: #HollywoodFiction, #icouldntputitdown, #readitinoneday, behind the scenes in Hollywood, Frank Capra, Frank Capra quote, It's in His Kiss by Vickie Lester, mysterious romantic comedy with a Hollywood twist, summer read, There is one word that aptly describes Hollywood - 'nervous.'

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“It Happened One Night,” and the first Oscar sweep…

February 18, 2015 by Vickie Lester

Yes, a really static shot of a bunch of people who made motion picture magic… Elected officers and board of directors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on November 15, 1932. Left to right, seated, Al Cohn, B. P. Schulberg, Benjamin Glazer, new vice president; Conrad Nagel, new president; M. C. Levee, retiring president; Fred Niblo, secretary; Irving G. Thalberg, and Frank Capra. Standing, left to right, Max Ree, Oliver H. P. Garrett, John Cromwell, Sam Hardy, […]

Categories: Architecture, Art, Blogging, Books, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, Fiction, Film, History, Hollywood, Humor, Life, Los Angeles, Movies, Photography, Relationships, Short Stories, Story, Theater, Travel, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: Bette Davis actively campaigned for the role but lost it to Claudette Colbert, BetteDavis, ClarkGable, ClaudetteColbert, Colbert at first refused to bare her leg for this scene because it was unladylike., Frank Capra, Oscar, The first film to sweep the Academy Awards was It Happened One Night in 1934

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Reprise: Palm Springs stands in for Shangri-La during the filming of Lost Horizon

December 11, 2014 by Vickie Lester

For a beautifully researched post on Art Director Stephen Goosson please turn to Steve Vaught’s VASTLY interesting blog: Shangri-La has been found! It’s in Denver! | Paradise Leased. You’ve probably guessed by now that I’m in Palm Springs. A few days ago I hiked Tahquitz Canyon with my best beloved and friends. There was a bonhomie on the easy trail that was quite lovely, people from all over the world offering each other their cameras and taking pictures and it […]

Categories: Architecture, Art, Blogging, Books, Christmas, Culture, Design, Entertainment, Fiction, Film, Friendship, History, Hollywood, Humor, Literature, Los Angeles, Marriage, Movies, Palm Springs, Photography, Relationships, Short Stories, Story, Travel, Uncategorized • Tags: 1937, Cinematography Elmer Dyer, Cinematography Joseph Walker, Columbia Pictures, Frank Capra, James Hilton, Jane Wyatt, LOST HORIZON, Palm Springs, Paradise Leased, Ronald Colman, Sam Jaffe, screenplay by Robert Riskin, Stephen Goosson, Steve Vaught, Tahquitz Canyon

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Christmas in Bedford Falls and It’s a Wonderful Life

December 1, 2014 by Vickie Lester

Categories: Architecture, Art, Christmas, Culture, Design, Entertainment, Fiction, Film, History, Hollywood, Life, Los Angeles, Movies, Photography, Story, Theater, Travel, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Weather • Tags: #JamesStewart, Christmas in Bedford Falls, Frank Capra, George Bailey and his guardian angel Clarence, It's a Wonderful Life GIF, snow effects

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Cary Grant and Priscilla Lane – Arsenic and Old Lace – Grant donated his salary to the war effort

October 21, 2014 by Vickie Lester

Categories: Art, Blogging, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, Fiction, Film, Halloween, History, Hollywood, Humor, Life, Literature, Los Angeles, Movies, Photography, Story, Theater, Travel, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized • Tags: 1944, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, behind the scenes, Cary Grant, Frank Capra, Halloween, Jean Adair, Josephine Hull, on set, Peter Lorre, PR, Priscilla Lane, Props, publicity still, Raymond Massey

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BARBARA STANWYCK ON ACTING

November 14, 2013 by Vickie Lester

“Eyes are the greatest tool in film. Mr. Capra taught me that. Sure, it’s nice to say very good dialogue, if you can get it. But great movie acting – watch the eyes!” Barbara Stanwyck (Photographer: George Hurrell. For Frank Capra’s “Meet John Doe”. 1941)

Categories: Art, Culture, Design, fashion, Film, History, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Movies, Photography, Theater • Tags: 1941, acting for film, Barbara Stanwyck, classic Hollywood, Frank Capra, George Hurrell, master of starlight, master of the Hollywood still, MEET JOHN DOE, photo, portrait