by Joanna Paxinou George Raft was a big movie star in the 1930s and ‘40s. Frankly, I wasn’t a fan of his and only watched his films when James Cagney or Humphrey Bogart was in the movie with him. Then I found out recently that Raft had grown up in…
Articles by Joanna Paxinou
by Joanna Paxinou George Raft was a big movie star in the 1930s and ‘40s. He played gangsters and was believable. Some people felt his believability was because he was close to many gangsters and considered them friends. This was well known in Hollywood and these associations even helped him…
by Joanna Paxinou At the beginning of his career, he was nominated twice for a Best Actor Academy Award—in 1940 for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and in 1941 when he won the award for his performance in The Philadelphia Story. He was just 33 years old. He went on…
by Joanna Paxinou Christmas is one of my fondest memories growing up in Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. I always loved Christmas! Almost the whole neighborhood participated in lighting up for the holidays. Our decorations weren’t nearly as grand as the stores on Fifth Avenue like Tiffany’s, Saks Fifth…
by Joanna Paxinou “Gimme a whiskey—ginger ale on the side. And don’t be stingy, baby.” Greta Garbo spoke those words in her first “talkie,” Anna Christie in 1930. Garbo had been a great silent screen star and one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s biggest assets. Her first three silent films accounted for 13%…
The Windermere photo courtesy of Phil O’Brien www.w42st.com I love the old buildings and homes built in New York City from about 1880 through the 1920s. I love them for their unique, thoughtful touches in making comfortable, lovely homes. They reflect a time that can never happen again…a time of…
“Men like me because I don’t wear a brassiere. Women like me because I don’t look like a girl who would steal a husband. At least not for long.” That’s how Jean Harlow described her appeal. She became a star playing a sexy, wise cracking, bad girl. Harlow died at…
Growing up in Manhattan, I remember how hot summers were. Walking the streets felt like the heat was coming up from the asphalt and almost smothering you. We didn’t have air-conditioning at home, just a couple of fans. My Uncle George (my Dad’s brother and a film buff like me)…
Although my blog is devoted to films of the 1930s and ‘40s, there are many, many more recent films that I love too. Midnight in Paris is one of them. The 2011 film is a fantasy/comedy. I love this movie! It is clever, creative, imaginative, entertaining—it’s just wonderful. The film…
I grew up in Manhattan on West 57th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. I loved it and still do! I left the old neighborhood some time ago, but it never left me. There are some new buildings built over the years, but surprisingly a lot has stayed the same….