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Thursday, November 2, 2017

Preview of coming attractions...


Seventy years ago today - November 2, 1947 - the second of two half-hour radio programs aired called Hollywood Fights Back.  It was a cavalcade of some 50 stars challenging the House Un-American Activities Committee and its willful oppression of so many actors and actresses, writers, directors and producers.  Their participation in this event was nothing short of courageous -- and many of them would soon join the ranks of the unemployed for either being victims of the committee or for expressing sympathy for those that were.

Hollywood Fights Back is our topic for the upcoming Banned and Blacklisted blogathon hosted by CMBA - the Classic Movie Blog Association, and my post will appear in two weeks - Thursday, November 16th.

Another upcoming feature on this blog will be a series on women pilots in the heyday of air speed races and endurance challenges for daredevil pilots.  We'll have a look at Tail Spin (1939) with Alice Faye, Constance Bennett, and Jane Wyman; Women in the Wind (1939) with Kay Francis, William Gagnon, Victor Jory, and Eve Arden; Wings and the Woman (1942) on the exploits of real-life British pilot Amy Johnson; and finally, Flight for Freedom (1943) starring Rosalind Russell in a fictionalized account of Amelia Earhart.  


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6 comments:

  1. BrittaneyNovember 3, 2017 at 10:13 AM

    Ooh, I'm looking forward to your women in flight feature. My female cousin is a pilot so I pay attention to those kind of films. I've seen Tail Spin and remember thinking it was a pretty good movie.

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  2. Jacqueline T. LynchNovember 3, 2017 at 12:56 PM

    Thanks, Brittaney! I'm looking forward to taking flight with the gal pilots.

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  3. Caftan WomanNovember 3, 2017 at 1:04 PM

    Looking forward to the series, and to your entry in the banned and blacklisted blogathon.

    My education through the world of blogging is probably the thing that surprises and pleases me the most.

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  4. Jacqueline T. LynchNovember 3, 2017 at 9:14 PM

    Thank you CW. I really enjoy the blogs of classic film writers, especially yours, for the insight, opinions, and the amazing variety of directions one can go in exploring these movies.

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  5. Sue BursztynskiNovember 4, 2017 at 12:28 AM

    Sounds like we have a couple of treats to look forward to. I wonder if anyone ever made, or thought of making, a film about Bessie Coleman, the first African American pilot? She had quite a story! And has inspired so many women fliers, including one astronaut(Dr Mae Jemison), and even one man, her nephew...

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  6. Jacqueline T. LynchNovember 5, 2017 at 6:56 PM

    Sue, I'm really surprised no modern filmmaker has taken up the Bessie Coleman story for a subject. I agree with you, she would make a really interesting topic - and she fit right into this first lady "barnstormers" theme.

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