The William Wellman Blogathon: “A Star is Born” (1937)

Rural North Dakota, 1937: Esther Blodgett (Janet Gaynor) dreams of becoming a Hollywood actress, much to her family's dismay. Her Grandmother (May Robson) is the only one in the family who supports her ambition. And she's vocal about it. Right from the get-go, she defends Esther after her other family members tease her and she literally …

Harold Russell: Hero and Screen Legend

As much as I could say about The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and all of the wonderful performances in it, I want to zone in mainly on one of the cast members: Harold Russell, a man who should be more well-known than he is today. Harold Russell was born in North Sydney, Nova Scotia in 1914 …