Black and White Movies

I have a confession to make. I LOVE old black and white movies. I've always watched them, even as a kid. Some of my best memories were sitting up late at night watching an old black and white Bette Davis movie. Let's face it, no one could do wicked quite like her! She's truly one of the greats in my mind.

One of my favorites was All About Eve. Bette plays Margo Chaning, an aging (yeah, like 40 is old! Sheesh!) actress who is being bumped out of the way by the new gal in town.


A famous quote from the movie, that I know we've all heard:

"Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night."

But one of my personal favorites is actually:


Birdie Coonan
“There’s a message from the bartender. Does Miss Channing know she ordered domestic gin by mistake?”
Margo Channing
“The only thing I ordered by mistake is the guests. They’re domestic, too, and they don’t care what they drink as long as it burns!”

And then there's the horror movie classic, Psycho. This was the first movie I could remember seeing that had a shocking twist at the end. Creepy doesn't begin to describe this line:

Norman Bates:
"She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?"


And there's the classic book and movie, Rebecca. I loved the book, but fell in love with Laurence Olivier who played Maxim de Winter in the movie. Definitely the ultimate tortured hero if you ask me.


This was a classic line.


Maxim de Winter:
"I can't forget what it's done to you. I've been thinking of nothing else since it happened. It's gone forever, that funny young, lost look I loved won't ever come back. I killed that when I told you about Rebecca. It's gone. In a few hours, you've grown so much older."
Do you have a favorite black and white movie? Certainly I'm not the only one here! :)
______________________________
In other news. I just had a new ebook release yesterday at Samhain Publishing. Taking Chloe, 3rd book in my Vaughn Family series is now available for purchase! Yay!
Here's a bit about it:
The only way to keep what he has…is to surrender everything.
The Vaughn Series, Book 3
Merrick Vaughn couldn’t be happier with his life. His business is jumping and his marriage to the love of his life is about as good as it gets. At least, that’s what he thinks…until Chloe announces she wants to separate.
Stunned doesn’t begin to cover it, but it quickly becomes clear that she’s dead serious. And if he doesn’t take action, as in now, he’s going to lose the only woman he’s ever loved.
The last thing Chloe wants is a divorce, but she can’t go on living with a virtual stranger who spends all his time—and hers—behind a desk. It’s tearing her apart, and taking a break to sort out her thoughts seems her only recourse.
Then Merrick offers a wicked proposition: go to Hawaii with him for one week’s vacation. After that, if he hasn’t successfully changed her mind, he’ll let her go. No questions asked. There’s only one caveat. She must agree to give him complete control.
Chloe’s intrigued and scared. One week in paradise might bring them closer—or be their ultimate undoing.
Warning: This story contains graphic language, a touch of voyeurism, anal sex, and husband-and-wife lovin’ in lots of sinful positions. Have your significant other handy!

21 comments:

Kathy Otten said...

Hi Anne,
My favorite B&W movie is To Kill a Mockingbird. Love Gregory Peck.

mamasand2 said...

Anne, I agree with you about those old movies. There were a number of very old ones on late nite TV long age by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Their Naughty Marietta showcased the song Tramp,Tramp,Tramp... that I loved. They were fantastic singers and I miss those movies.

Thanks for reminding me of the great oldies.

By the way, I'm half way through your 'Taking Chloe' and I love it.

Sandie

Jennifer August said...

I loved the Tingler with Vincent Price. It was so creepy and melodramatic. Gaslight is another good one, as is Arsenic & Old Lace. I don't suppose Young Frankenstein counts?! Lol Love that one. My son now won't watch B&W at all, thinks there's something wrong with the TV. What a different world and times those were. It's awesome that they can still be enjoyed today. Even if they are digitally remastered!

Emma Lai said...

Congrats on your latest release!

I love old movies, but I'm horrible at recalling titles. I do like Psycho though. I'm more of a technicolor musical fan though...like Wizard of Oz...it's one of my all time favorites.

Dana Marie Bell said...

One of my favorite black and white movie? Arsenic and Old Lace! Cary Grant was hysterical in that movie. Funny part, he hated it. He thought he'd over-acted, but it's one of his best movies as far as I'm concerned. If you've never seen it you really should.

Another favorite? The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. I just love the romance between the Captain and Mrs. Muir. The ending was so sweet!

Anne Rainey said...

Kathy--That really is a classic. One of my mother's favorite books too!

Sandie--Thanks for stopping by AND I'm so glad you're enjoying Taking Chloe! :)

Anne Rainey said...

Jennifer--I almost mentioned Price in my blog! I loved him. He playes such sinister characters!

Emma--The Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins. My daughters and I love those two movies.

Alice Gaines said...

My two favorite movies in the world are in black and white:

Harvey with Jimmy Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd in which he explains "In this life you must be oh so clever or oh so pleasant. I tried clever. I recommend pleasant." That's my philosophy in life.

Scrooge (aka A Christmas Carol) with Alistair Sim. What a brilliant actor. No one else is Scrooge. The black and white is so stark. It's absolutely necessary to the story.

Alice

Anne Rainey said...

Dana--I LOVE "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir"! It's been so long since I've seen that one. Dang, now I feel like I need to go to the video store and rent both of those you mention! LOL

Anne Rainey said...

Alice--Thank you for saying that about "A Christmas Carol". YOU are absolutely right! Nothing can compare!

Unknown said...

I, too, love the B&W's. I particularly like the mystery/suspense ones, i.e. The Maltese Falcon, the MR & Mrs. North series and anything with Hepburn & Tracy.

Anne Rainey said...

Mary Ellen--Oh! I used to love the Agatha Christie movies. Any and all! As to Hepburn. I liked Audrey Hepburn myself. "Wait Until Dark" where she plays a blind woman. It's not b&w, but it's still a good movie, imo. :)

Mary Ricksen said...

Frankenstein and the Mummy. Scared me to death and Creature from the Black Lagoon. Ugh!!
Good luck with the new release!

Natasha Moore said...

Ooh, I love B&W movies. Casablanca is one of my favorites.

Congrats on your new release!

Anne Rainey said...

Mary--My brother would make me watch the scary ones. LOL I loved staying up and watching Chiller.

Natasha--Would you believe I've never watched Casablanca all the way through? I need to rent that one!

Thanks for the congrats, ladies! :)

bookdragon3 said...

I'm another B&W fan.
But my favorites go back even farther: 1925 Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney Sr. (Saw it in a theater with the legendary Gaylord Carter on theater organ!) 1945 Naughty Ninties with Abbot and Costello. The Quintessential version of "Who's on First". 1943 Stagedoor Canteen. A cast of just about everyone.
I have a soft spot for the classic Universal and Hammer horror classics. I also love the old big band movies during the '30's and '40's.

Carol Ericson said...

Anne, I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of older films - that's my hubby, who loves old war movies - but you've listed some of my favorites. I remember my parents not allowing me to watch Psycho when it was on TV, and I snuck into the garage to peek through a door - thought it was boring then or it could have been my uncomfortable position!

Nicole North said...

I don't watch black and white movies. I know, I'm weird. I have always wanted to watch Casablanca. Maybe if I watch that one I'll get hooked. :)

Anne Rainey said...

bookdragon--I used to love Abbot and Costello!! Wow, that brings back memories! I don't think I've seen the 1925 Phantom movie though. I'll have to see if I can find it somewhere. :)

Carol--LOL I'm a BIG horror movie fan so yeah, I loved Psycho. :)

Nicole--B&W movies are definitely not for everyone. Heck, whenever I tell people I don't generally care for romantic movies I get the strangest looks. A romance writer who doesn't watch romance movies...lol I'm odd. What can I say?!

Philip, 1932 said...

I love all the old black and white movies. They remind me of the good old days. The new movies are all crap... They make no sense at all! Only visual effects, nothing else.

Anonymous said...

i love black and whites too...today i was on a mission tracking down movies i saw when i was younger. but one evades me time n time again i wondered if you could help.
its the love story between in a madly in love couple, things change when the wife decides to adopt a little girl and pour her life and soul into looking after her. they even have matching monogrammed robes. towards the end the heroine gets sick and unfortunately dies. the husband takes the death real bad and takes out his frustration out on the young child till he realises at the end by loving his wifes little girl he could keep her memory alive. please do help if you can id really appreciate it. im reachable at dreams_7(at)hotmail dot com